The war in Ukraine continues, and numerous incidents of violence and human rights violations by pro-Russian militants and the Russian Federation’s own armed forces have been documented over the past year.
A terrible video of the massacre of a soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Recently, on one of the videos posted on the Internet, it was possible to see the demonstration execution of a Ukrainian prisoner of war at the hands of radical extremists (perhaps the Russian military, possibly mercenaries in their service — author).
The video of the murder appeared on the network on March 6
On March 6, 2023, Twitter user Ihor Lachenkov published a video in which the brutal murder of a Ukrainian prisoner of war was recorded. The video shows a soldier in the uniform of the Ukrainian armed forces being brutally killed after he uttered the phrase «Glory to Ukraine».
*The video contains footage of execution and is not recommended for viewing by people with a weak psyche.
«Even in the twenty-first century, horrible war crimes are still committed, and those who break all the rules still go unpunished,» wrote Ihor Lachenkov.
Sometime before that, this video was posted by volunteer and video blogger Serhiy Sternenko. He commented on this video as follows: Another war crime by Russians. Ukrainian soldier was captured. After he said «Glory to Ukraine», the Russians shot him and filmed it.
Reaction of Ukraine
The Prosecutor General’s Office reported that the Main Investigative Department of the SBU registered criminal proceedings under art. 438 part 2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — violation of the laws and customs of war. Procedural management will be carried out by prosecutors of the General Prosecutor’s Office.
International organizations have also recognized it as a violation of the rules of war and a crime
Dmytro Lubinets, the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament), sent this video to international partners and fellow ombudsmen from different countries of the world as another war crime committed by the Russian Federation.
History of the phrase «Glory to Ukraine!»
«Glory to Ukraine!» is a national slogan and greeting that appeared at the beginning of the 20th century in various variations and became widespread among Ukrainians during the Ukrainian Revolution. It became the slogan of Ukrainian nationalists and fighters for the independence of Ukraine. In the 1920s and 1930s, it was common in the West of Ukraine and the Ukrainian diaspora, and it was revived in greater Ukraine after the declaration of independence in 1991.
Glory to Ukraine! This slogan can often be seen on marches in support of Ukraine
Since then, it gained popularity during Euromaidan and the Russian-Ukrainian war. Since 2018, «Glory to Ukraine!» is a military salute in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the National Police.
Numerous fakes from the Russian Federation
In the Russian segment of the Internet, many fakes and distortions of facts appeared regarding this brutal murder of a prisoner of war. Some of the Russian and pro-Russian contributors write that this did not happen or that it was a provocation, others even believe that it was a disguised soldier of the Russian army. However, there are those who directly enjoy killing and consider it normal.
Many Russian channels spread fake news. Here is a typical example
Let’s remember that fakes and manipulations can have serious consequences, especially in the context of a military conflict. They can lead to further escalation of violence.
Fake: a serviceman was killed by soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
The pro-Russian Twitter account Sinnaig released a photo with a censored version of the video of the murder with the following text, “Hard video, I had to blur it. A soldier of the Armed Forces by his own brothers at the front. The video was published on many Ukrainian channels. They let him smoke and suddenly, “Slava Ukraini” and execution…”
This tweet has now been removed from this publication.
Who is killed?
Initially, information appeared that the killed was a soldier of the 30th separate mechanized brigade Timofii Shadura. This was announced by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine on Tuesday, March 7, referring to the statement of the military unit.
Initially, information appeared that the killed was a fighter of the 30th separate mechanized brigade Timofii Shadura
But on March 7, 2023, military journalist Yuriy Butusov published a post that it was Oleksandr Matsievsky, a soldier of the fire support company of the 163rd Territorial battalion.
On March 7, 2023, military journalist Yuriy Butusov published a post that soldier Oleksandr Matsievsky was killed
Conclusion
Any violence is unacceptable, especially when a victim is an unarmed person. Violence cannot be justified under any circumstances, and every such case must be immediately investigated and those responsible for such heinous acts brought to justice.
Danylo Kondysiuk
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