A group of Ukrainian soldiers trained under a British-led programme have described witnessing Russian troops summarily executing civilians in a village outside Kharkiv, in what independent monitors say could amount to war crimes. The accounts, gathered over several days of fighting around the village of Lake City, detail a pattern of deliberate killings that Western intelligence sources describe as a systematic campaign of intimidation.
The Ukrainian servicemen, members of an assault brigade that received instruction from British Army advisors as part of Operation Orbital, said they discovered the bodies of at least 30 non-combatants after retaking the settlement on Tuesday. The dead included women and elderly men, many with gunshot wounds to the head. One soldier, speaking on condition of anonymity, described finding a family of four shot in their basement. Another recounted a neighbour who had been tied to a tractor and executed.
British military officials in Kyiv confirmed that elements of the unit had completed a tactical training course in the United Kingdom earlier this year. However, they stressed that the soldiers were operating under Ukrainian command and that London had no direct role in the operation. The allegations come as the Kremlin continues to deny targeting civilians, despite mounting evidence from the UN and human rights groups of atrocities in occupied territories.
Lake City, a rural community of 2,000 people before the war, changed hands three times in the past fortnight. Russian forces occupied the area on October 14, withdrew under Ukrainian pressure, then re-entered and held it for four days before being driven out again. It was during this final occupation that the executions are said to have occurred. Local residents who survived told investigators that troops went door to door, demanding to know the whereabouts of Ukrainian soldiers and executing anyone who could not provide satisfactory answers.
An emergency room doctor at Kharkiv Regional Hospital, who treated survivors, described wounds consistent with close-range shootings. Several patients had been tortured, including one man whose fingers were broken and another who had been branded with a hot object. The doctor spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing retaliation.
The Ukrainian prosecutor general’s office has opened a war crimes investigation and dispatched a forensic team to the village. International Criminal Court prosecutors in The Hague, who last year began examining alleged Russian atrocities, said they were monitoring the situation. A spokesman declined to comment on whether a formal investigation would be launched.
British defence sources said they were aware of the reports and were liaising with Ukrainian authorities. The UK has trained over 22,000 Ukrainian personnel since 2015 under Operation Orbital, with a focus on infantry tactics, medical skills and leadership. Critics have questioned whether such training is sufficient to prevent Ukrainian troops from committing abuses of their own, though no evidence has emerged linking British-trained units to misconduct.
The United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has documented over 800 civilian deaths in Kharkiv region since the invasion began in February, though the true figure is believed to be significantly higher. OHCHR spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said the Lake City reports were “deeply troubling” and urged all parties to comply with international humanitarian law.
As fighting continues to rage across eastern Ukraine, the Lake City incident underscores the brutal character of the war. For the soldiers who discovered the carnage, the memory is indelible. One told our correspondent: “I trained with British soldiers to learn how to fight properly. But nothing prepared me for this. These were people like my grandparents.”
The Russian defence ministry did not respond to requests for comment. Its official position is that its forces do not target civilians and that any allegations are Ukrainian propaganda.
This report is based on interviews with three Ukrainian servicemen, a local resident, a doctor and an official from the prosecutor general’s office. All names have been withheld for security reasons. Additional reporting from British military sources in Kyiv.
