WARNING: GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION
Kyiv: Ukraine’s top prosecutor says a criminal investigation has been launched into what he called the “brutal and brazen shooting of an unarmed person” depicted in a video shared on social media,
He accused Russia of ignoring the laws of war.
A 12-second video widely shared on Twitter shows an apparently unarmed man in uniform with a Ukrainian flag insignia on his arm standing smoking in a wooded area.
The man says, “Glory to Ukraine”. Multiple shots are heard coming from an unseen shooter or shooters, and the man slumps to the ground as bullets appear to hit his body. A voice is heard saying “Die, bitch,” in Russian.
Reuters was not immediately able to verify the authenticity, date or location of the video, which is of poor quality. Russia’s Defence Ministry did not immediately respond to a query about the video. Ukrainian authorities did not say where or when the shooting occurred.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, noting only that the video had appeared on Monday, said it showed Russian occupiers brutally killing a soldier.
He added, “I want us all in unity to respond to his words, ‘Glory to the hero. Glory to the heroes. Glory to Ukraine.’ And we will find the murderers.”
Online tributes started appearing almost immediately, with some immortalising the soldier in illustrations and repeating the war cry “Glory to Ukraine”.
The head of Ukraine’s presidential office, Andriy Yermak, said the man was a Ukrainian prisoner of war and that the incident was part of a “deliberate policy of terror” by Russia.
“There will be punishment for every such war crime,” Yermak wrote in a tweet. “No one will dodge justice. We’ll find them all.”
Ukrainian and Western authorities say there is evidence of thousands of war crimes committed in Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022.
Russia has repeatedly denied that its forces have committed atrocities or attacked civilians.
Andriy Kostin, Ukraine’s prosecutor general, said on his Telegram channel the country’s security service had registered the shooting as a criminal case under a part of the country’s criminal code that covers violations of the laws and customs of war.
“Even the war has its own laws,” he said, adding that prosecutors from his office would lead the case.
“There are rules of international law systematically ignored by the Russian criminal regime. But sooner or later, there will be punishment.”
Reuters
Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for the weekly What in the World newsletter here.
Most Viewed in World
From our partners
Source: Read Full Article
Women reveal experiences at private clinics doing pregnancy scans
'Hippy crack' nitrous oxide 'will be banned next week'
Adam Perkins: Body found in search for camper, 24, who vanished in Yorkshire countryside as cops issue tragic update | The Sun
Met recorded 3,000 crimes where suspects too young to be prosecuted
How many times a day do a clock's hands overlap?
Public warned not to eat popular ‘deadly’ cheese as Brit dies from listeria bug
Masked gunman on rampage near Prince William and Harry's Eton College pointing weapon at cars as cops launch manhunt | The Sun
Women's rights campaigner on Australia and New Zealand controversies