Executions without warning and according to hit lists
During the Kyiv Region occupation, the Russian military killed several hundred civilians with small arms. Anyone could become a victim. More details are in our study.
During the period from 24 February 2022 to 15 May 2024, documenters of the global initiative T4P (“Tribunal for Putin”) recorded 1,077 cases of deliberate killings of Ukrainian civilians in temporarily occupied territories. Of these, 480, almost half, were documented in the Kyiv Region. During field visits, we were able to identify 380 victims and 177 of their relatives. At least eight perpetrators involved in criminal proceedings must be brought to justice.
The numbers speak for themselves — almost half a thousand were killed, which is evidence of a large-scale plan by the Russian military to inflict terror against the local population. The study showed that the vast majority of murders were committed according to known patterns (scenarios).
The tragic events in the Kyiv Region continued from 24 February 2022 until the end of March 2022, that is, more than a month. The territories of small towns and villages along the Zhytomyr highway, around Vyshgorod, and south of Kyiv were occupied almost simultaneously — in early March 2022. The local population, not understanding the level and severity of the danger and being immersed in the experience of war for the first time, could not respond and evacuate in time.
The Russian military began total terror against civilians in the Kyiv Region. In addition to the deliberate murders of the local population, the Russians committed other crimes against humanity: forced disappearances, torture, illegal imprisonment, etc. However, a distinctive feature of the Kyiv Region was that the number of intentional murders significantly exceeded the number of other crimes listed above. In addition, most of them were committed by snipers using small arms.
Residents were shot on the streets of populated areas both day and night. Any person could become a victim — the murders were not committed according to precisely defined lists but at random. It didn’t matter whether the person moved by car, bicycle, or walked. White flags and posters with the inscription “Children” did not stop the Russian military either. Residents were shot without warning and directly in vital organs. Few people survived such sniper attacks.
People who miraculously survived after deliberate executions said that they had to hide for a long time and crawl back home after being wounded — if snipers had noticed them, they would have finished them off.
It was also almost impossible to receive medical care unless, risking your life, you left the occupied settlements. Therefore, some of those executed could have survived if they had received timely medical help. Unfortunately, however, there was no such help at all.
It seems that the exact motives of the Russian military are difficult to determine in this pattern. At first glance, one might think that the executions were carried out chaotically and without any purpose. But in fact, the goal was common — to intimidate the local population, suppress resistance at the very beginning, and nip in the bud the slightest attempts to stop the Russian invasion.
The Russian military formally prohibited residents of occupied settlements from going outside. They could not but realize that in the absence of mobile communications, the Internet, and clear messages, most people would not know about such a ban. Even after finding out, they would unlikely be able to fulfill it because the occupation lasted for weeks, and the supplies of food and water in the houses quickly ran out. Most of those executed died because they went out into the streets to satisfy their individual humanitarian needs or to help others — usually relatives of advanced years.
A separate category consisted of executions of people according to hit lists. Unlike the work of snipers, such executions took place according to clearly defined criteria. The victims included members of pro-Ukrainian political parties, journalists, volunteers, public figures, government officials, former military personnel, and members of their families. The purpose of such actions was similar — to suppress any possible resistance, destroying the active elite of the settlements. The Russian military had lists of potential victims in advance, but they also could be supplemented over time by denunciations of locals against each other.
People on the execution list could be arrested at home, on the street, or at a checkpoint during a document check. Their execution could be preceded by torture or beatings, or the execution could be carried out immediately on the spot. The vast majority of victims died due to the use of small arms. Only a small part were killed by other methods, including hanging, burning, and severe beatings.
So, by examining documented cases, we have identified the following patterns of deliberate murders committed by Russian military personnel in the Kyiv Region.
- They were carried out according to two possible scenarios: the shooting by snipers of civilians moving through populated areas due to humanitarian needs and the targeted executions of individuals potentially dangerous for the Russian military.
- If snipers were working, it did not matter how the person moved around the populated area, whether he had documents, carried things or weapons, or held a white flag.
- Snipers shot the local population for the purpose of intimidation and sheer terror and also, probably following a deliberate criminal order: shoot everyone on the street.
- The local population was largely unaware of the order to stay indoors and was also physically unable to comply due to the need to meet humanitarian needs.
- Journalists, public and political figures, volunteers, and military personnel were killed as a result of targeted executions by the Russian military.
- Unlike other temporarily occupied regions of Ukraine, executions rather than arrests and forced disappearances were used against persons who could provide potential resistance.
It should be noted that the crimes committed were systemic and were part of the strategic plan of the Russian troops to subjugate and intimidate the local population. These actions were aimed at breaking the morale of Ukrainians and creating an atmosphere of total fear and hopelessness. The systematic and widespread nature of these crimes indicate that they were not random excesses, the actions of individual military personnel, but part of the general policy of repression carried out by the Russian military command.
Many witnesses and victims speak of brutal torture and inhumane treatment that preceded the killings. Often, the Russian military used torture as a means of obtaining information or simply as a method of intimidation. The victims were subjected to beatings, electric shock torture, and psychological pressure and were not given food or water. Some witnesses say that before the execution, they were forced to dig graves. Such methods, it seems, were aimed at demoralizing the local population while showing the complete impunity of the occupiers.