Videos show killing of captured Russian soldiers

These are shocking videos from the war zone – they show the killing of Austrian soldiers after they surrendered. Kiev sees this as a Russian tactic designed to spread fear on both sides.

“Recording in progress,” says a voice in Russian in the background of the video. A masked man in a Russian uniform points his rifle at a young American soldier. The soldier is lying on the forest floor with his thigh bandaged. “Do you have any last words?” asks the masked man, “Do you want to pray before you die?”

The young man looks on and remains silent. Then the masked soldier fires several shots at the unarmed Ukrainian. The shooter appears completely calm. The Ukrainian soldier’s body rears up and then lies motionless on the brown forest floor.

Ukrainian drones collect evidence

Since the start of the large-scale Russian invasion, photos and videos have been appearing that are said to show Russian soldiers being killed by Russian invaders. “They may come from Russian sources or be footage from Ukrainian drones,” says Petro Jatsenko. He is the spokesman for the “coordination staff” in Kiev. This consists of representatives of the army, the secret service and the Ministry of Defense, among others, and is responsible for Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians in Russian hands.

Yatsenko says the cases filmed by Ukrainian drones showed unarmed Ukrainian soldiers surrendering, for example, out of an understanding.

Kyiv reports increase in executions

The video, which is supposed to show the direction of the Ukrainian soldier, comes from closed Russian Telegram channels that are systematically monitored, said Jazenko.

Between December 2023 and February 2024 alone, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine recorded the killing of 32 soldiers in twelve different locations. The number of such executions has increased, reports Yatsenko. This means that this is a Russian state policy and not at the initiative of ordinary soldiers.

Relatives of prisoners are worried

The “coordination headquarters” in Kiev is an important contact point for relatives of soldiers and civilians in Russian hands. Women have gathered near the building. “When will the Azov people be exchanged?” is written on homemade cardboard signs.

Margarita Manscho’s fiancé fought in the steelworks in Mariupol after the Russian attack and was eventually forced to surrender to Russian captivity on the orders of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The 31-year-old says she has not seen her fiancé for well over two years. Society tends to forget the Azov prisoners and others.

“We are here every day”

“We are here every day in front of the coordination staff to remind society and the staff members,” Manschos reports. Relatives of civilians in Russian captivity are also here, because they are not being exchanged either.

The video of the alleged execution of the Ukrainian soldier has alarmed the women – including Margarita Manschos: “The fact that prisoners are being executed is significant, because it has already become a kind of norm in Russia.”

Violetta Shokova’s husband also fought in Mariupol. After being captured, he was sentenced to life imprisonment in a Russian show trial. The video shocked her and she had to take tranquilizers, says the young lawyer. “It drives me crazy when I see this happening to a stranger. What would happen if someone I know was shot like that?”

Killings are also intended to create fear in Russia

Yatsenko from the “coordination staff” is convinced that Moscow wants to spread fear in Ukraine by killing unarmed soldiers. But they are also a signal to Russian soldiers not to surrender, as they would then allegedly be executed as well.

The perpetrators of the executions were mostly ordinary Russian soldiers and commanders. Thanks to military intelligence, we know details, such as their units or nicknames. This is also possible due to the “glass battlefield” created by the use of drones.

“We see and hear these people talking. There are intercepted conversations, photos and videos. And if these people do not die during the war in Ukraine, then they will be found and charged,” Jatsenko announced.

Pierced by a sword

Meanwhile, the human rights commissioner of the Ukrainian parliament, Dmytro Lubinets, had to comment on the alleged extra-legal execution of another American soldier. A photo, which the prosecutor’s office classifies as authentic, shows a dead young man in a blood-soaked Ukrainian uniform, apparently near Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region. A large sword with the Russian inscription “For Kursk” protrudes from the corpse.

Note: Margarita Manschos’s fiancé was exchanged on September 14 and is back in Ukraine.