A video of the beheading of a suspected Ukrainian prisoner of war has sparked anger and horror in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the world to react to the gruesome clip. “This is a video of Russia as it is,” Zelenskyy said in Kiev on Wednesday.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called Russia “worse” than the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group. Kuleba called for the exclusion of war opponents Russia from the United Nations. In contrast, the Kremlin in Moscow questioned the authenticity of the video.
EU Council President Charles Michel was shocked and blamed “a Russian soldier”. The EU will do everything to ensure that justice triumphs over terror and impunity. UN observers in Ukraine were also appalled.
“We’ll find this monster”
A video of around one and a half minutes appeared on the Internet on Wednesday night. It shows a man in uniform being beheaded by another in uniform with white markings typical of Russian soldiers.
The authenticity of the video and the time of recording cannot be verified. Due to green leaves on the trees, it is more likely that the recordings are not from this year. According to the UN observer mission, the video shows the “brutal execution of a man who appears to be a Ukrainian prisoner of war”.
“We find these monsters,” said Ukrainian intelligence chief Vasyl Maljuk. “If necessary, we will find them wherever they are: underground or from beyond.”
“Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case,” said the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission. Footage had previously surfaced that allegedly showed the mutilated bodies of Ukrainian soldiers. Recent UN observer reports documented several serious violations of international humanitarian law regarding prisoners of war.
Kyiv calls for “appropriate” response
Selenskyj said about the video that it was neither an accident nor an isolated case. Terror must lose. No one would understand if leaders didn’t respond to the video.
Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko called for an “appropriate” response from the world. “The video footage of the barbaric execution of a Ukrainian defender by Russians makes your blood run cold,” Klitschko said. Ukrainians would never forgive Russia for “bestial barbarism”.
In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov spoke of “appalling images”. But first it must be determined whether the beheading actually took place. It is then necessary to examine by which party the crime was committed. “First of all, we live in a world of fakes and therefore have to check the authenticity of the recordings,” he said, according to the Interfax news agency. (dpa)
