Russian soldier caught on drone video shooting surrendering Ukrainian troops
"This morning, in the area of responsibility of the Chortycja military unit, the Russians once again demonstrated their disregard for International Humanitarian Law by shooting two Ukrainian prisoners of war," said the press service of the Ukrainian Ground Forces in a statement.
10:38 AM EST, February 18, 2024
This statement includes a drone video that shows soldiers in trenches. One soldier is seen standing with a rifle in front of two others who are not showing any resistance. He aims his gun at them and shoots. One falls first, then the other. He then fires a few more shots as the soldiers lay on the ground.
At present, there is no specific information about where exactly this incident took place. The Unian website reports that social media posts suggest that it could have happened near the village of Vesele, situated northeast of the occupied region of Soledar.
Ukrainian media had earlier reported another war crime committed by the Russians in captured Avdiivka. The occupiers are alleged to have shot six captured Ukrainian soldiers. The Ukrainian portal DeepState reports that the wounded soldiers were unable to escape from the encirclement on their own and chose to stay at their positions. When the Russians arrived, they were reported to have simply shot them.
Sources: Unian, DeepState, Telegram