Zelensky calls Russians “beasts” after video of alleged beheading of prisoner

The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskydescribed this Wednesday the Russians as “beasts” after the dissemination of a video with the alleged beheading of a Ukrainian prisoner of war, which sparked outrage from the UN and the European Union.

AFP has not been able to verify the video authenticityneither where nor when it was recorded.

“How easily these beasts kill! This video of the execution of a Ukrainian prisoner of war, the world must see. This is a video of Russia as it is.” Zelensky said in a message on Instagram.

“This is not an accident […] This had happened before. so it was in bucha. Thousands of times”he added, alluding to the suburb of kyiv which became a symbol of the atrocities attributed to the Russian army.

The Ukrainian Minister of External relationships, Dmytro Kulebaconsidered Russia to be “worse than the Islamic State”a jihadist organization that used to film the executions of its hostages, usually by beheading.

“Russian terrorists must be expelled from Ukraine and of the UN and responsible for their crimes”he reiterated.

READ ALSO: Bolivia could export lithium batteries in 2026, says President Luis Arce

“In a bag”

In the video, which lasts 1 minute and 40 seconds and has been circulating online since Tuesday, a man in camouflage clothing and his face covered is seen cutting the throat of another, dressed in uniform, lying on the ground and screaming. “this hurts!”.

After a few seconds, the screaming stops and a man behind the camera is heard in Russian inciting the executioner to “cut off his head”. He ends the decapitation with a knife and at the end, shows his head to the camera.

“You have to put it in a bag and send it to the commander,” says a voice, in Russian. The camera also focuses on the vest of the victimwhich bears the trident of the Ukrainian coat of arms and a skull.

The Ukrainian security service (SBU) opened an investigation into this “war crime”. “We will find these monsters (…) They will be punished”assured its manager, Vassyl Maliuk.

The Vice Minister of Defence, Ganna Maliarindicated that the authorities are “doing everything possible to identify the deceased.”

KNOW MORE: Who was Connor Sturgeon, the perpetrator of the shooting at a Louisville bank who was going to be fired and broadcast the attack live

Verify “authenticity”

Russiawhich normally rejects accusations of crimes against its military and accuses kyiv to rig the facts, he claimed to check if the recording was real.

“Of course these are horrible images”told the press the spokesman of the Russian presidency, Dmitry Peskov.

But, “in the world of’fakes‘ (falsehoods) in which we live, the authenticity of this video must be verified”he added.

The mission of the UN in kyiv said to be “horrified” for these images and mentioned a second recording in which you can see “mutilated bodies, apparently of Ukrainian prisoners of war.”

“Unfortunately it is not an isolated incident”lamented the mission, demanding to investigate the facts and bring their authors to justice.

The European Union (EU) also called for accountability “all perpetrators and accomplices of war crimes” in Ukraine.

If the recording is true, “This is yet another brutal reminder of the inhumane nature of Russian aggression”in the words of Nabila Massralithe spokesperson for the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, kyiv and Moscow They have accused each other of war crimes.

In early March, a video showing an alleged execution of a Ukrainian prisoner of war by Russian soldiers sent shock waves across Ukraine.

In November, the kremlin He was enraged with two recordings in which the alleged execution of a dozen Russian soldiers who had just surrendered was seen.

The UN in March accused Ukrainian and Russian forces of carrying out summary executions of prisoners of war.

Russia has always denied, despite concordant evidence, summary executions of civilians, especially in Bucha, a year ago.

Source: Elcomercio

jack

I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.