It is an unbearable video that has been circulating on social networks since Tuesday. The images show the beheading of a suspected Ukrainian prisoner of war and have provoked strong anger in Ukraine, where President Volodymyr Zelensky has denounced a new exaction by Russian “monsters”. If the video remains to be formally authenticated, it has been the subject of condemnations in particular from the UN.
• An unsustainable video
The video is one minute and forty seconds long and has been circulating since Tuesday. In this one, a man in camouflage, his face masked, slices the neck of another man in uniform struggling on the ground, screaming ” it hurts “.
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After a few seconds, the screams stop and we hear a man behind the camera urging the executioner, in Russian, to ” cut the head “ of the victim. The latter finishes his decapitation with a knife, and shows the severed head to the camera. “You have to throw it in the bag and send it to the commander” said a voice in Russian. On camera, we also show the victim’s vest crossed out with the Ukrainian trident and a skull.
• Ukraine denounces Russian “monsters”
President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced “monsters” Russians after the publication of this video. “How easily these monsters kill. This video of the execution of a Ukrainian prisoner of war, the world must see it. This is a video of Russia as it is”he launched in a video posted on Instagram.
“It’s not an accident. (…) This happened already earlier. It was like that in Boutcha. Thousands of times »he continued, referring to the suburbs of kyiv that have become a symbol of the atrocities attributed to the Russian army. “Prison sentences for murderers, court in the state of evil”he added.
The head of Ukrainian diplomacy Dmytro Kouleba felt that Russia was “worse than the Islamic State”a jihadist organization that filmed the executions of its hostages, in particular by beheading. “Russian terrorists must be kicked out of Ukraine and the UN and held accountable for their crimes”he said on Twitter.
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The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has opened an investigation into this ” war crime “. “We will find these monsters (…) They will be punished”hammered the head of the SBU Vassyl Maliouk in a press release.
• The authenticity of the video still to be verified
For now, the authenticity of the video could not be verified, according to AFP, which was not yet able to say where and when it was filmed.
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Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Ganna Maliar for her part indicated on Telegram that the authorities are doing “everything (their) possible to identify the deceased”.
Usually, Russian officials limit themselves to denying any involvement of Russian soldiers in war crimes, and accuse Ukraine of orchestrating the scenes. But on Wednesday, the spokesman for the Russian presidency, Dmitry Peskov, acknowledged that these were “of course horrible images”. “In the world of “fakes” in which we live, we must ensure the authenticity of this video”he added, however.
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• Cascading international condemnations
The UN human rights mission in Ukraine said ” horrified “ by this video. She also referred to a second video showing “the mutilated bodies, apparently of Ukrainian prisoners of war” and declared: “Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. » It therefore calls for “these incidents are properly investigated and held to account”.
The EU will ask “Accounts to all perpetrators and accomplices of war crimes” in Ukraine said Wednesday a spokeswoman for the head of European diplomacy, after the broadcast of a video seeming to show, according to kyiv, a Russian soldier beheading a Ukrainian prisoner with a knife.
• Accusations of war crimes since the beginning of the conflict
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, Kyiv and Moscow have accused each other of mistreating prisoners amounting to war crimes.
In early March, a video showing the alleged execution of a Ukrainian prisoner of war by Russian soldiers caused shock in Ukraine.
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In November, the Kremlin was indignant at two videos that appeared to show the alleged execution of a dozen Russian soldiers by bullets after surrendering to Ukrainian forces.
In late March, the UN accused Ukrainian and Russian forces of committing summary executions of prisoners of war.
Russia also denies, despite corroborating evidence, the summary executions of civilians, in particular in Boutcha, near Kiev, a year ago.
