United Nations condemns 'summary execution of prisoners of war' by both Russia, Ukraine

The United Nations Human Rights Office on Tuesday condemned recordings of Russian and Ukrainian officials ordering the summary execution of prisoners of war.

Audio first surfaced on multiple Telegram channels Sunday that appeared to show Ukrainian forces ordering the killing of a Russian prisoner of war.  Ukrainian prisoners of war are seen during a swap, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, at an unknown location, Ukraine, in this screengrab taken from a handout video released April 16, 2023.  (Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War/Handout via REUTERS) Ukrainian prisoners of war during a prisoner swap in mid-April.  (Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War/Handout via REUTERS) Ukrainian prisoners of war walk to safety.  (Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War/Handout via REUTERS) Servicemen from Russian-controlled parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions released in recent prisoner exchange in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict arrive in the town of Amvrosiivka (Amvrosievka), Donetsk region, Russian-controlled Ukraine November 6, 2022.  (REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko) Service members return to the town of Amvrosiivka in the Russian-controlled Donetsk region after a prisoner swap.  (REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko) An interior view shows a basement of a building, which Ukrainian authorities say was a makeshift Russian prison and torture chamber during Russia's invasion in the village of Kozacha Lopan, in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, on September 18, 2022.   (REUTERS/Viktoriia Yakymenko) Ukrainian authorities have accused Russian forces of torturing prisoners of war.  (REUTERS/Viktoriia Yakymenko) Paul Best is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Story tips and ideas can be sent to Paul.Best@fox.com and on Twitter: @KincaidBest. 

Yevgeny Prigozhin, who leads the Russian mercenary group Wagner, responded by saying that his forces will kill all rival soldiers in Bakhmut, a city in eastern Ukraine that has been the center of fighting for months.