The terrifying moment Putin’s soldiers executed kneeling and unarmed Ukrainian troops is believed to have been caught on camera.
Drone footage – which is still to be independently authenticated – seems to show Ukrainian soldiers on their knees, totally defenceless, with their arms raised above their heads before being shot by a Russian soldier and collapsing to the ground.
The horrifying incident, which is thought to have taken place in the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia region, is now under investigation for new war crime charges against the Russian forces, reports The Sun.
A statement from the General Prosecutor’s Office in Kyiv said: “The Russian army captured three Ukrainian defenders during a combat clash near the village of Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia region.
“An hour later, in violation of Article 3 of the Geneva Convention on the Treatment of Prisoners of War, the occupiers shot them.
“A pre-trial investigation is carried out by investigators of the SBU Department in the Zaporizhzhia region.”
It added: “This is another case of a gross violation of international humanitarian law regarding the treatment of prisoners of war by the aggressor country.”
The SBU Department is Ukraine’s intelligence service. Ukrainian journalist Andriy Tsaplienko, of TSN TV channel, said: “This video will become another document at the international tribunal.
“It shows how three paratroopers were brought to their knees and shot from a distance of a few metres.”
He added “that the occupiers are simply not humans.” It is the second case of its kind this month, with Russia being accused of thousands of alleged war crimes.
Ukraine has launched a probe earlier this month following the emergence of footage that appears to show Russian forces shooting two Ukrainian soldiers after they had already surrendered.
The events filmed in the video, published on the messaging app Telegram on December 2, are believed to have happened just a few kilometres northwest of Avdiivka, a city Moscow’s troops have been trying to encircle since October 10.
