- April 12, 2026
- 4:12 pm
- Ukraine
On April 12, 2026, the Ukrainian project DeepState reported a new episode that the Ukrainian side considers a war crime: near the village of Veterinary in the Kharkiv region, four Ukrainian servicemen who were captured were killed. Later that same day, the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine confirmed that it had launched an investigation into the shooting of four Ukrainian prisoners of war and indicated that, according to the investigation, the crime occurred on April 11.
The story resonated particularly heavily against the backdrop of the so-called Easter truce, which Moscow announced as a gesture of reducing tensions. But by the morning of April 12, it became clear that no real pause had occurred. Associated Press, citing the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, reported that the Ukrainian army recorded 2,299 ceasefire violations by Russia, while the Russian Ministry of Defense, in turn, reported 1,971 violations by Ukraine.
For the Israeli audience, this news is important not only as another episode of Russia’s war against Ukraine. It once again shows how quickly any declarations of ‘silence’ lose meaning where one side continues to act outside the logic of international humanitarian law. For a society living under constant threat and knowing all too well the price of words about a truce, this is read without illusions.
What happened near Veterinary and why it is considered a war crime
According to DeepState, Russian military entered Ukrainian positions through a neighboring area, captured four soldiers from one of the mechanized brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and then killed them. Ukrainska Pravda reported on April 12 that published videos show Ukrainian defenders lying face down being shot after capture. Later, Kyiv Independent, citing the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, reported that an investigation was opened specifically into the murder of four prisoners on April 11 near Veterinary.
It is crucial here not to blur the formulations. This is not just about the death of the wounded in battle or a controversial episode on the line of contact. If servicemen are already captured, disarmed, and not fighting, their killing is considered a violation of the laws and customs of war. That is why the Ukrainian prosecutor’s office qualifies the incident not as an ordinary combat episode but as a subject of a separate investigation.
In the same vein is another case reported by DeepState on the evening of April 11: around 5:30 PM near Huliaipole in the Zaporizhzhia region, Russian FPV drones attacked a group of wounded Ukrainian soldiers during evacuation. Ukrainska Pravda wrote about this, indicating that this is another episode that occurred after the announced ‘silence regime’ began.
Why the topic of prisoners is especially sensitive now
Against the backdrop of exchanges, talks of ceasefire, and attempts to show at least minimal humanitarian frameworks, the war returns to the harshest scenario. When a video of the killing of already captured soldiers appears in the information field, it hits not only the military agenda but also any attempts to talk about trust in negotiations, local pauses, or even symbolic gestures.
For Ukraine, this is yet another proof that the Russian side, according to Kyiv, uses the language of diplomacy separately and the practice of war separately. For Israel, there is also a clear nerve here. Any security system built on the promises of the adversary but not on mechanisms of control and deterrence remains extremely fragile.
The Easter truce collapsed almost immediately
According to Associated Press, by 7 AM on April 12, the Ukrainian side counted 2,299 ceasefire violations by Russia. This figure included assault actions, shelling, and the use of small drones. The Russian side, in turn, reported 1,971 violations by Ukraine. This very statistic shows that the ‘truce’ lived at best on paper.
On the evening of April 11, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that only after 4:00 PM, that is, after the official start of the silence regime, 469 violations by Russian troops were recorded. The Ukrainian army counted 22 assault actions, 153 artillery shellings, 19 kamikaze drone strikes, and 275 FPV drone attacks. These data were provided by Ukrainska Pravda, citing the Ukrainian military command.
Against this backdrop, strikes on civilians and medical services only reinforced the feeling that no one is seriously talking about a real ceasefire anymore. In the Sumy region, on the night of Orthodox Easter, a Russian drone hit an ambulance, injuring three medics. This was reported on April 12 by local authorities, and then the information was relayed by Ukrainska Pravda, Ukrinform, and other Ukrainian media.
On the morning of the same day, in the village of Zolochiv in the Bohodukhiv district of the Kharkiv region, a fire broke out as a result of a Russian strike on a store, injuring two people. This was reported by Ukrainska Pravda and Ukrinform, citing the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.
In this context, the story of the four killed prisoners ceases to be an isolated episode. It fits into the overall picture where the announced truce did not stop either the strikes on the front, the attacks on the wounded, or the pressure on civilian infrastructure.
What this means for the perception of the war in Israel
For the Israeli reader, the importance lies not only in the fact of a new crime but also in the behavior model behind it. When one side simultaneously talks about a pause, exchanges, de-escalation, and at the same time allows or, according to the Ukrainian side, commits the murder of prisoners, it undermines the very idea of trust in any unilateral ‘gestures of goodwill’.
That is why NAnews — Israel News | Nikk.Agency considers this episode not as an ordinary frontline news but as another reminder of the nature of the current war. In such conflicts, words about a truce can be used as a backdrop, but real significance lies only in actions on the ground, the reaction of international institutions, and the willingness to document every violation.
Why this story will not end with one news report
Most likely, the episode near Veterinary will now move from the media field to the investigative and international legal plane. The Ukrainian prosecutor’s office has already launched an investigation, and publications by major Ukrainian outlets and international English-language media have made this case noticeable far beyond the front-line report.
But politically, the main conclusion has already been voiced. The Easter truce did not become even a short respite, and reports of the shooting of prisoners and attacks on the wounded only reinforced the Ukrainian side’s conviction that Russia uses pauses more as a maneuvering tool than as a step towards reducing violence. This is indirectly indicated by the total number of recorded violations and the very nature of the incidents that occurred almost immediately after the start of the declared silence regime.
For Israel, which itself lives in a reality where the humanitarian frameworks of war are constantly tested for strength, such news is read extremely clearly. Where prisoners are killed, the wounded are finished off by drones, and ambulances are hit even on a festive night, the question is no longer whether the truce is being observed. The question is how long the international community is willing to call such episodes ‘violations’ without moving to a harsher language of accountability.