Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to stop any killing of Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war by Russian armed forces.

We condemn Russia's barbaric assault against Ukraine's civilian population. The Office for the High Commissioner of Human Rights reports that at least 13,341 civilians have been killed since February 2022. We have been clear that Russia's delaying of peace process to stop the bloodshed will only strengthen our resolve to help Ukraine to defend itself and use our sanctions to restrict Putin's war machine. Our latest sanctions of 17 June impact across Russia's financial, military and energy sectors.

The UK holds Russia accountable for the treatment of any prisoner in their custody. Members of the Ukrainian armed forces who are captured by Russia are entitled to Prisoner of War status and must be provided all the rights and protections afforded to them in accordance with the Geneva Convention. We condemn the exploitation of Prisoners of War for political and propaganda purposes. We regularly use our public communications and statements, including at the UN and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, to draw attention to Russia's treatment of Ukrainian Prisoners of War, calling on Russia to comply with international humanitarian law and demanding accountability.