Three videos show a soldier wearing what appears to be a patch of yellow and blue, the colors of the Ukrainian flag, on the ground, with his hands tied behind his back, first gagged, mutilated, and then shot. is reflected.
CNN cannot independently verify the authenticity of the video, which was widely circulated on social media after first appearing on a pro-Russian Telegram channel. CNN has also not independently verified the nationality of the perpetrators or victims.
The UN Human Rights Observatory Mission in Ukraine is appalled by the video. rice field.
Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office said it had “opened a criminal investigation into the matter based on the results of video processing showing people in uniforms of the armed forces of the Russian Federation torturing prisoners in prisons.” rice field. Uniforms of military personnel of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Measures are being taken to establish all circumstances of the crime.
The video that first emerged showed the victim surrounded and gagged by at least four men, one of whom had a “Z” insignia linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. wearing what appears to be a Russian uniform with markings.
In a second video, the same man in blue surgical gloves wriths on the ground while what appears to be a Russian uniform cuts off the victim’s underwear with box cutters. A man is castrated using the same cutter and faces the severed genitals to the camera. In the video, the perpetrator can be heard saying “hug him” in Russian.
A third video shows a bound and mutilated man shot in the head and dragged off.
CNN has reached out to the Russian Ministry of Defense for comment on the video.
The United Nations Observatory posted on Facebook that it said, “The latest evidence clearly shows the beating, castration and shooting of soldiers captured from the Ukrainian military by a man believed to be a member of the Russian military or associated with the Russian military. I’m horrified by the video,” he said. Armed group. ”
“In one of the videos, a tortured soldier appeared to have been shot in the head and had his body dragged into a ditch. If confirmed, these actions would constitute a war crime.”
“Unfortunately, this is just the latest in a series of videos documenting the torture and extrajudicial killings of prisoners of war and pre-battle people committed by militant parties,” the UN Observatory said. .
“The HRMMU has publicly reported a video of a Ukrainian soldier shooting three captured Russian soldiers in the leg and shooting dead a wounded Russian soldier in another case,” the UN Observatory wrote.
Further, “All parties must refrain from torture, killing, and the threat of quarters to captured combatants. must be investigated.”
The European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell condemned Friday that “Russia’s ongoing illegal and unjust war of aggression against Ukraine and its people is unleashing more horrific atrocities every day.” .
“Evidence in the form of gruesome video footage, widely shared today on pro-Kremlin social networks, shows Russian soldiers committing heinous atrocities against Ukrainian prisoners of war,” Borrell said in a statement.
Amnesty International has requested an investigation into the video.
Marie Struthers, Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director at Amnesty International, said: “This horrific attack is a clear example of the Russian military’s complete disregard for life and dignity in Ukraine. Criminal charges have been filed. We have to investigate everyone,” he said.
“Since the beginning of Russia’s war in Ukraine, Amnesty International has documented crimes under international law, including the summary killing of prisoners of war by Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine and the killing of Ukrainian civilians by Russian forces. extrajudicial executions,” she said.
Source: www.cnn.com
