On April 25, 2023, the UN Human Rights Office condemned audio recordings which appear to contain authority figures on both sides of the war in Ukraine ordering soldiers not to take prisoners of war and instead execute those who are captured. The leader of Wagner Group, a prominent Russian paramilitary organization, posted an audio recording on April 23 on the popular messaging app Telegram declaring that his combatants will “kill everyone on the battlefield” and not take prisoners of war. This recording was in response to another recording. Although the authenticity of the recording is not verified, it allegedly included audio of a Ukrainian armed forces member ordering the execution of a captured Wagner group mercenary. Under the Geneva Conventions, executing prisoners hors de combat (out of combat) is a war crime. The UN Human Rights Office’s statement urged Russian and Ukrainian authorities to “comply with their obligations under international law to investigate the statements in these recordings and to identify and prosecute those responsible.” The statement also encouraged authority figures in both militaries to issue “clear and unambiguous orders” and respect international law obligations regarding prisoners of war.