Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday denounced Russian “beasts” after a video appeared to indicate the beheading of a Ukrainian prisoner, prompting worldwide outrage.
The emergence of the footage, which AFP was unable to independently confirm, sparked fury in Ukraine, with Kyiv saying Russia is “worse than ISIS” — a reference to the Islamic State group.
The European Union pledged to carry warfare criminals to account, whereas a UN mission in Ukraine mentioned it was “appalled”.
The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine additionally pointed to a different video that’s spreading on-line, saying it “shows mutilated bodies of apparent Ukrainian POWs.”
Moscow and Kyiv have repeatedly accused one another of killing prisoners of warfare since Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine greater than a 12 months in the past.
Several movies alleging to indicate POW killings have made the rounds on the web over the previous 12 months.
Following the emergence of a brand new video, Mr. Zelensky mentioned in an tackle posted to social media that “the world must see” what he referred to as an “execution of a Ukrainian captive”.
“There is something that no one in the world can ignore: how easily these beasts kill,” a grim-looking Ukrainian chief mentioned.
“We won’t forget anything, nor will we forgive murderers,” he added.
The video, which lasts round one minute 40 seconds, reveals a masked man in camouflage decapitating one other man in uniform.
After the screams cease, different voices are heard encouraging the attacker in Russian.
After the person is decapitated, a voice is heard saying that the top needs to be despatched “to the commander”.
The sufferer’s vest bearing the Ukrainian trident and a cranium will also be seen within the footage.
“The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine is appalled by particularly gruesome videos posted on social media,” it mentioned in an announcement.
“One of the videos shows a brutal execution of a man who appears to be a Ukrainian prisoner of war, while the other one shows mutilated bodies of apparent Ukrainian POWs.”
The EU mentioned that, if confirmed, the footage was “yet another brutal reminder about the inhumane nature of the Russian aggression.”
“The EU reiterates its firm commitment to holding to account all perpetrators and accomplices of war crimes committed in connection with Russia’s war,” EU spokeswoman Nabila Massrali mentioned, including that Brussels didn’t have data on the veracity of the video.
Mr. Putin’s spokesman referred to as the pictures “horrible” however mentioned the authenticity of the video must be confirmed.
“First of all, the authenticity of this horrible footage needs to be verified,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov informed reporters.
“We live in a world of fakes,” he added.
Top Ukrainian officers renewed calls to take away Russia from the UN Security Council the place it’s a everlasting member.
“It’s absurd that Russia, which is worse than ISIS, is presiding over the UNSC,” wrote Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
Russia holds the rotating Security Council presidency for the month of April.
Mykhailo Podolyak, a political adviser to Mr. Zelensky, warned in opposition to “any attempts to find a compromise with the terrorists”, including that Russia have to be remoted from “the rest of the world.”
Source: www.thehindu.com