THIS is the horrifying moment Putin’s soldiers are said to execute kneeling, unarmed Ukrainian troops “in cold blood”.
The drone video – still to be independently authenticated – is under investigation for new war crime charges against brutal Russian forces.
The three soldiers are thought to have been shot ‘in cold blood’
The Ukrainian paratroopers are seen kneeling with their hands behind their heads on the frontline in the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia region.
The appalling moment when they are shot is clearly visible despite the poor quality of the aerial footage.
The smoke is seen from the weapon purportedly held by a Russian assassin.
The men collapse on the ground.
In Ukraine, the incident has been condemned as showing how Vladimir Putin’s forces “are simply not human”.
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.”
The SBU is Ukraine’s intelligence service.
“This is another case of a gross violation of international humanitarian law regarding the treatment of prisoners of war by the aggressor country.”
The video will need to undergo checks and verification before it can be used as evidence of a war crime, but initially the shooting appears an appalling violation of the rules of conflict.
Respected Ukrainian journalist Andriy Tsaplienko, of TSN TV channel, called the triple shooting: “Yet another war crime committed by the Russians.”
He said: “Russian occupiers shot captured paratroopers on one of the areas of the frontline.
“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.
“The execution of the prisoners is watched by a person in uniform who stands behind them, probably a Russian soldier who commands the execution.
“The video taken by the drone is a confirmation that the occupiers are simply not humans.”
Putin’s forces “do not follow the rules and customs of war”, he said.
He claimed “their goal, like these soldiers, is to destroy all Ukrainians just like these soldiers.”
It is the second case this month.
Earlier harrowing footage showed the moment “two surrendering Ukrainian troops are mercilessly gunned down by Russian troops”.
The chilling video shows one unarmed Ukrainian soldier emerge from a trench with his hands above his head.
He evidently obeys instructions shouted by the Russian invaders and lies face down on the ground.
A second Ukrainian from the 45th separate rifle battalion then comes out of the underground passage and is seen rapidly shot in a hail of machine gun fire.
The first soldier gets up to look what is happening and is also gunned to death in a cloud of smoke.
The earlier incident was reportedly near Avdiivka.
The latest footage comes as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), general Valerii Zaluzhny, said he had underestimated how much blood Putin was ready to spill in the war.
“I thought the number of casualties we caused would stop anyone. But not the Russian Federation,” he said.
The shocking footage comes as a Ukrainian commander has warned that 2024 may be more difficult on the frontline.
Brigadier General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, Commander of the Tavriia Operational Strategic Group gave the prediction as Ukraine pushes to regain its territory currently occupied by Russia.
He told the BBC: “Next year will be even more difficult. Because we have to end the hostilities and liberate our territories.
“And the closer we are to accomplishing this task, the main goal of reaching our borders, it will be even more difficult.
“The enemy knows this and will do everything to prevent us from completing this task.
:As they say, good luck to us and to them, well, they’ve made their choice. That’s why I say it’s going to be a tough year.”
East2WestGeneral Valerii Zaluzhnyi says he has underestimated how much blood Putin was ready to spill in the war[/caption]
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