The Main Department of the National Police in Sumy Region, under the prosecutorial guidance of the Sumy Regional Prosecutor’s Office (RPO), has issued a notice of suspicion to the battalion commander of the 1st Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 2nd Motorized Rifle Division of the 1st Tank Army of the Russian Federation for the use of Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians as human shields on 1 March 2022.
Global Rights Compliance (GRC) has provided legal support to the Sumy RPO by reviewing the criminal proceedings and draft notice of suspicion. GRC’s legal consultants analysed the factual and legal basis for the charges, identified applicable IHL provisions, and recommended specific changes to strengthen the case’s legal and evidentiary foundations.
On 1 March 2022, the suspect placed six Ukrainian prisoners of war and two civilian women within a moving Russian military convoy to shield it from attack during its retreat toward the Russian border.
The prohibition on the use of human shields is well established in international humanitarian law and absolute – enshrined in the Geneva Conventions, Additional Protocols and customary law.
GRC Mobile Justice Teams operate as part of the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group for Ukraine (ACA). The ACA is a multilateral initiative established by the United Kingdom, the European Union, and the United States to support and assist Ukrainian law enforcement and prosecutors in investigating and prosecuting international crimes committed during the full-scale war.
Media articles: https://suspilne.media/sumy/1412058-komandir-rf-prikrivsa-polonenimi-i-civilnimi-pid-cas-vidstupu-z-sumsini-prokuratura/
https://lb.ua/society/2026/09/25/768828_pro_pidozru_povidomili.html