“This horrific attack is yet another clear example of the complete disregard for human life and dignity in Ukraine at the hands of Russian forces,” Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, said on Friday.
Approximately One-and-a-half-minute video, a man in military uniform, wearing a “Z” patch and orange and black ribbon associated with Russian forces, castrates a bound prisoner using a green utility knife.
A separate video shared on pro-Russian Telegram channels shows a single shot being fired at the prisoner’s head.
The Washington Post was unable to confirm the date or location of the videos.
Adviser to the Ukrainian president, Mykhailo Podolyak, described the men in the tape as Russian “propaganda” who take pleasure in torture. “But the fog of war will not help evade the punishment of the executioners,” he said chirp. “We will identify and reach out to each of you.”
Social media users, investigative journalists and members of conflict intelligence groups have been scrutinizing other footage of Russian forces available online, in an effort to identify the men who appeared in the videos. The newspaper was unable to identify the captive in the footage.
Eric TolerResearch and training manager for the investigative group Bellingcatsaid the presence of the symbol “Z”, which became Logo of support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine, on a car in the background in one video “contradicts some claims… that the video may be out of date and now appears in a year or two.”
The European Union’s top diplomat described the footage as an example of “inhumane atrocities” that amount to war crimes.
“Evidence in the form of horrific video footage has been widely disseminated on pro-Kremlin social networks today, in which Russian soldiers commit heinous atrocities against a Ukrainian prisoner of war,” Josep Borrell said Friday, referring to the horrific videos. The European Union condemns in the strongest terms the atrocities committed by the Russian armed forces and their proxies.
There was no official comment from Moscow on these allegations.
Amnesty statement He said The London-based rights group has documented crimes under international law during the Russian war on Ukraine, including the summary killing of prisoners of Russia-backed separatists and extrajudicial executions of Ukrainian civilians by Russian forces.
After Russian troops withdrew from the outskirts of Kyiv earlier in the conflict, he photographed corpses lying in the streets and evidence of torture in Bucha, near the capital, sparked global outrage – and imposed more Western sanctions on Russia. Moscow denied the accusations.
As Russian bombs hit Ukrainian cities, Kyiv says it is gathering evidence across the country Investigation and prosecution Hundreds of alleged war crimes By Russian troops during the war, now in its sixth month.
In April, a Ukrainian official He said An investigation will be opened after a video clip posted online showed the killing of a Russian fighter lying on the ground by Ukrainian forces.
Francis reported from London.
“Coffee trailblazer. Certified pop culture lover. Infuriatingly humble gamer.”
