Kyiv authorities have leveled accusations of war crimes against Moscow following the emergence of a video on social media, which seemingly depicts Russian soldiers shooting two Ukrainian military personnel who were surrendering. The authenticity of this video, which surfaced on social media and shows the apparent execution, remains unverified.
The footage displays one soldier emerging from a trench with raised hands before lying on the ground. Another soldier follows, also surrendering and lying down. It appears that Russian troops then fire at these unarmed individuals, after which the video abruptly ends.
The Ukrainian General Prosecutor’s Office commented on the incident, stating, “The video depicts individuals in Russian uniforms firing at close range at two unarmed members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces who were in the process of surrendering.”
Reuters was unable to independently verify the video’s authenticity, the date it was recorded, or its location. The Russian defense ministry has not provided a response to inquiries regarding the video.
Despite Russia’s denial of committing war crimes in the ongoing conflict, which has lasted for over 21 months, Kyiv maintains that such violations are a regular occurrence.
Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian human rights ombudsman, expressed outrage on the Telegram messaging platform, stating, “The execution of surrendering individuals is a war crime!” He further emphasized that the video represented yet another breach of the Geneva Conventions and a disregard for international humanitarian law.
According to Deepstate, a well-known Ukrainian war blog, the video was reportedly captured near Stepove on the Avdiivka front line in the Donetsk region.
The General Prosecutor’s Office identified the incident’s location as the Pokrovsk district, part of the Donetsk region that encompasses the vicinity of Avdiivka, where intense combat has recently been reported.
Oleksandr Shtupun, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s Tavria military command, spoke to the Ukrainska Pravda news website, describing the video as a “glaring confirmation” of Russia’s daily violations of the rules of warfare.
This incident recalls a previous episode from March, where a Ukrainian sniper was recorded being shot after uttering “Glory to Ukraine,” a phrase that has gained significant resonance as a rallying cry since the onset of the war.
