Videos that surfaced late last night purportedly show members of the Ukrainian military shooting Russian POWs in the knees and beating them senseless.
Several correspondents from around the world have called on the International Criminal Court, which Ukraine has invited into their country, to investigate and verify these potential war crimes.
Videos allegedly showing Ukrainian soldiers shooting Russian prisoners of war in the knees have hit the internet alongside a series of clips from the Ukrainian army calling the families and loved ones of deceased Russian soldiers in order to mock their deaths. The footage embedded below is graphic and viewer discretion is advised.
While The Gateway Pundit is unable to independently verify the content of these videos, a foreign correspondent from the BBC has indicated that she reviewed the clips. “Seeing (not sharing) graphic videos from Ukraine. In accepting ICC jurisdiction, Ukraine has enabled ICC prosecutors to investigate allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity on both sides,” she tweeted. “Rhetoric from some politicians suggests focus on Russians alone.” Reporters from Sweden’s SVT and Bellingcat’s Elliot Higgins have also acknowledged the release of the videos.
Russian commentators who have been tracking the war on Telegram suggested that provoking an equally brutal response from Russia could be the true motive behind the release of these videos. On one hand, the media in the West is unlikely to promote war crimes committed by the Ukrainians, but if Russia retaliates in kind, that will surely get a significant amount of airtime.
In the videos, Russian soldiers are shown exiting a van under the guard of Ukrainian soldiers.
Some commentators have attempted to portray the videos as Russian propaganda, suggesting that the victims might have been captured deserters who were being punished. There currently isn’t any evidence to suggest that is the case.
Wilson Dizard, a journalist with Turkey’s public broadcasting station TRT, tweeted that mistreatment of Russian POWs is becoming a “dangerous trend” noting that it is in Ukraine’s interest to humanely treat POWs to encourage more Russians to surrender.
Carl Fridh Kleberg, a foreign correspondent with Sweden’s national public news, found the videos credible enough to warrant an investigation while shooting down claims that accents in the video reveal the assailants to be Russian and assertions that the blood is unrealistic: