Ukraine is committed to finding and punishing Russian soldiers who, according to a video circulating on the internet, killed an unarmed prisoner of war, the BBC writes.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on the evening of Monday, the 6th of March, that the killers will be found. The video shows a Ukrainian soldier smoking a cigarette in the trenches. Before the soldier is shot, he says the words «Glory to Ukraine!» On Tuesday, the 7th of March, the Ukrainian army identified the man as Tymofiy Shadura, and he had been missing since the 3rd of February. Shadura was reportedly last seen near Bahmut.
The army statement said that the remains of the soldier are in the occupied territory and that the final identification will take place when the body is recovered.
The dead soldier’s sister told the BBC:
«My brother would certainly be capable of standing up to the Russians like that. He never hid the truth in his life and certainly wouldn’t do so in front of the enemy.»
The BBC has not been able to confirm where and when the video was taken.
Kyiv and western allies have accused Russian soldiers of committing war crimes, while Russia denies the accusations, despite overwhelming evidence.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Twitter that the video was further evidence of genocide brought about by war and called on the International Criminal Court to immediately open an investigation. Ukrainian human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets accused Russian soldiers of violating the Geneva Convention. The Prosecutor General of Ukraine, Andriy Kostin, stated that a criminal investigation has already begun.
Russian soldiers have previously been accused of torturing, raping, and killing prisoners of war.
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