At least five Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) were executed by Russian soldiers amid a chaotic withdrawal near Huliaipole, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, it was reported on Nov. 27.

According to analytical organisation DeepState, Ukrainian soldiers were taken captive and shot dead on Nov. 26 near Zelenyi Hai village, in the Huliaipole sector.

„The enemy captured the soldiers in the forest, lined them up, and shot them after interrogation,“ DeepState said on Telegram.

Speaking to Interfax-Ukraine on Nov. 27, Spokesperson of the Southern Defense Forces Vladyslav Voloshyn acknowledged that Ukrainian forces had withdrawn from positions in the area, but one unit „withdrew from the occupied positions in an uncoordinated manner.“

„Thus, it exposed one of the flanks of our operational structure in this area and the personnel of the adjacent unit found themselves without cover,“ he said.