According to the Ukrainian army, the identity of a prisoner of war who was allegedly shot by Russian soldiers has been “provisionally” clarified.
The soldier seen in a short video is probably a 41-year-old who has been missing from Bakhmut since February 3, the Ukrainian land forces said on Telegram. The man served in the 30th Mechanized Brigade.
A final confirmation can only be given when the suspected corpse in the Russian-occupied Donetsk region is found and handed over.
Zelenskyj’s party calls for hero honors for those killed
A video has been causing horror since Monday, which allegedly documents the shooting of a man in a Ukrainian uniform by Russian-speaking men. Before the deadly shots were fired, the man shouted the salute of the Ukrainian army: “Glory to Ukraine!” After that, a campaign with the greeting and the reply: “Honor the hero!” immediately unfolded in social networks.
The Servant of the People party of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has issued a call for the dead soldier to be posthumously awarded the title “Hero of Ukraine”. Government officials wrote of a despicable act and further evidence of Russian war crimes.
Selenskyj also condemned the bloody deed. “The occupiers are killing us for the actual fact that we are Ukrainians. For the simple word Ukraine. For our dream of a Ukraine,” said the president. The killers would be found and punished, he said.
Ukraine has been defending itself against the Russian invasion for more than a year. The Russian troops in particular are repeatedly accused of war crimes.
“If that’s authentic, it would be a war crime”
The federal government described the video of the alleged shooting as “shocking”. “If that’s authentic, then that would be a war crime,” said a spokesman for the Foreign Office.
Irrespective of this individual case, Ukraine is receiving logistical support from Germany in investigating war crimes. For example, the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) provided material for forensic work worth over 11.5 million euros last year, said a spokesman for the Ministry of the Interior. In addition, the BKA is supporting the investigation by questioning the witnesses of Ukrainian refugees.
