Ukraine has initiated an investigation following the release of a video purporting to show Russian troops executing two Ukrainian soldiers who had surrendered.
According to Ukrainian authorities, the video shows “a group of people in Russian uniforms” killing defenseless Ukrainians at close range.
According to the prosecution, the killing of prisoners of war constitutes a “gross violation” of conflict rules and conventions.
The video has not been authenticated independently. Russia has not responded.
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Since Russia launched its full-fledged invasion in February 2022, both Kyiv and Moscow have accused each other of violating the Geneva Conventions – a collection of international humanitarian standards governing the conduct of armed combat and, in particular, the treatment of prisoners of war.
Ukraine’s prosecutor general’s office said in a statement on Sunday that a pre-trial inquiry had been initiated “for violation of the laws and customs of war, combined with intentional murder.”
It defined the death of POWs as a “grave international crime.”
According to preliminary information, the incident occurred near the town of Stepove in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk area. It provided no information on who shot the video or when it was shot.
In recent weeks, Russian troops have been seeking to take the nearby town of Avdiivka, a Ukrainian stronghold just outside the Russian-held regional capital of Donetsk.
In a separate statement issued on Sunday, Ukraine’s military encouraged the international community to “condemn Russia’s actions and bring the aggressor country’s military leadership to justice.”
Russia’s military has yet to respond publicly to the allegations.
On December 2, Ukraine’s DeepStateUA Telegram channel released the shaky footage.
According to the report, the two Ukrainian soldiers were killed near Stepove when Russian troops took over the positions of Ukraine’s 45th Rifle Battalion.
According to DeepStateUA, the Ukrainian soldiers were forced to surrender due to a lack of ammunition.
The footage appears to show a Ukrainian soldier emerging from a dugout to surrender. He is holding his hands to his head as Russian forces, according to Ukraine, point their rifles at him.
After that, the Ukrainian soldier is seen lying face down on the ground, and a second Ukrainian soldier emerges from the trench. None of them appear to be armed in the footage.
Just seconds later, the soldiers opened fire on the Ukrainians, killing both of them.
The BBC has not confirmed the validity of the film.
Later that day, Ukrainian serviceman Oleksandr Kolym stated that the Ukrainians who were shot were from his unit.
On Sunday, Vitaliy Barabash, the leader of Avdiivka’s military administration, informed Ukraine’s Freedom TV channel that individuals who carried out the shooting were later “liquidated” in a Ukrainian attack.
Mr. Kolym and Mr. Barabash offered no evidence to support their accusations.
After a video allegedly depicting a Ukrainian soldier being beheaded by a Russian serviceman surfaced in April, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on world leaders to respond.
Russia said at the time that the tape was “awful,” but that its integrity and who was behind it needed to be investigated.
Ukraine accused Russian soldiers in March of killing an unarmed Ukrainian soldier who was seen smoking a cigarette and saying “Glory to Ukraine” before being gunned down.
Moscow accused Ukrainian soldiers of murdering a group of Russian prisoners late last year.
It came after the release of a video from the front lines in eastern Ukraine showing several troops appearing to surrender in an action that ended in their deaths.
According to a Ukrainian official, the surrender was “staged” by Russian troops to fight their captives.
