A video has been published online that shows people in military uniform with white stripes decapitating a person in a uniform that features Ukrainian insignia.
The man on the ground shouts that he is “in pain”, while another commits the murder with a knife as a man can be heard speaking off-camera over the radio, give out commands and say: “Send it to Kyiv <…> We are working, brothers, working <…> cut it off, <…> break the spine <…> what, you’ve never cut off a head”. At the same time, their faces are covered by masks.
The video also shows two people displaying a camouflaged body armour vest with Ukrainian distinguishing marks in front of the camera.
Novaya-Europe does not publish the video for ethical reasons.
It is not clear who shot the video or where. BBC News Russian notes that the recording shows bright green leaves, which means that it could have been made a while ago.
Andriy Yermak, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, wrote shortly after the video appeared online: “There will be accountability and responsibility for everything”. Ukrainian Telegram channels suggest that this is a response to the video of the killing, but Yermak himself did not specify what the post was related to.
In March, a video was circulated on social media showing an unarmed soldier being shot after saying “Glory to Ukraine”. It was later revealed that the victim was Oleksandr Matsievsky, a sniper from the 163rd Battalion of the 119th Separate Brigade of the Territorial Defense Forces in the Chernihiv region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posthumously awarded Matsievsky the title of Hero of Ukraine.
At the end of July, a video of a brutal murder of a soldier in a uniform similar to that of the Ukrainian military was also published online. Initially, a video appeared showing a man cutting off the victim’s genitals with a stationery knife. The perpetrator was wearing a military uniform with a patch on the sleeve with the letter Z. When the bound and lying soldier tries to resist, he is kicked in the head. In another video, the captive is shot in the head and his body is dragged into a pit.