A Russian prisoner of war (POW) reportedly escaped from captivity and killed five Ukrainian service members in Kharkiv Oblast on Oct. 13, according to Ukrainian media.
Around 4:00 p.m., a man in civilian clothing approached a building housing members of the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade, opened fire, and first killed one Ukrainian service member, before entering the house and killing four others, according to Glavkom.
A source in the military command in the Kharkiv region told BBC Ukraine that the suspected attacker was a Russian prisoner of war.
The Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor's Office confirmed an investigation was underway and said that an unknown person killed five service members of Ukraine's armed forces in a residential building in Kharkiv Oblast on Oct. 13. It did not identify any suspects as Russian POWs.
The prosecutor’s office said investigators were examining several possible motives, including whether the attacker may have been linked to a Russian sabotage and reconnaissance group.
The brigade shared a statement, saying that "On October 13, a tragic event occurred in the territory of Kharkiv region, as a result of which servicemen of the 72nd separate mechanized brigade named after the Black Zaporozhians died."
"According to preliminary information, persons who are likely citizens of the Russian Federation may have been involved in the incident," it added.
In total, the shooting lasted for about two hours, Glavkom said, while BBC Ukraine added that residents called the local police station at 04:20 p.m. about the incident. Another service member was injured in a neighboring village, according to Glavkom.
Glavkom said that two servicemen of the Russian armed forces fled captivity in Kharkiv Oblast.
While the search is ongoing, BBC Ukraine reported that the attacker was a man with a height of 160-170 cm, a lean physique, with dark hair and a unkempt beard, wearing dark blue jeans, a long-sleeved black jacket, and a grey backpack, and carrying a machine gun.
On Oct. 6, Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said that Ukraine took 858 more Russian servicemen into captivity than Ukrainians were taken into Russian captivity, an average 107 per month.
Since mid-2023, the headquarter said, Ukraine took more prisoners than Russia. The Ukrainian military provides bonuses for taking Russian soldiers as prisoners, as each Russian soldier might be an opportunity to exchange Ukrainian service members or civilians in Russian captivity, it added.
Ukraine and Russia exchange prisoners of war, one of the few remaining areas of direct humanitarian cooperation between the two countries amid Russia's full-scale invasion.
Ukraine and Russia have also continued repatriating the bodies of fallen soldiers despite a broader diplomatic process that has largely stalled.