Volodymyr Zelensky has vowed to “find the murderers” of an unarmed Ukrainian prisoner of war apparently shot dead by Russian forces. The man’s death was captured in graphic footage shared across social media.
Ukraine’s chief prosecutor announced a criminal investigation into the killing, and human rights chief Dmytro Lubinets said it was a violation of the Geneva Conventions.
The 12-second video, orginally posted on Telegram before being shared on Twitter, shows the man in uniform with a Ukrainian insignia on his arm, standing and smoking a cigarette in a wooded area. The man says “Slava Ukraini!” – Glory to Ukraine – before multiple shots are fired. The man then slumps to the ground.
Ukraine’s military has named the man as Tymofiy Shadura, a member of the 30th Separate Mechanised Brigade, who has been missing since 3 February near Bakhmut, the scene of some of the fiercest fighting in the war so far.
“Currently, the body of our serviceman is in the temporarily occupied territory. The final confirmation of the identity can be established after the return of the body and the relevant examinations,” the military said, citing what it called “preliminary information”. The authenticity, date and location of the video have not been verified, nor has the identity given by the Ukrainian military. Russia has not commented.
In a video address, Mr Zelensky said: “I want us all in unity to respond to his words, ‘Glory to the hero. Glory to the heroes. Glory to Ukraine.’ And we will find the murderers.”
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba called for an immediate investigation by the International Criminal Court.
Andriy Kostin, Ukraine’s prosecutor general, said on Telegram that Ukraine’s security service had registered the shooting as a criminal case under a part of the country’s criminal code that covers violations of war laws and customs.
“Even the war has its own laws,” he said, adding that prosecutors from his office would lead the case. “There are rules of international law systematically ignored by the Russian criminal regime. But sooner or later, there will be punishment.”
The head of Ukraine’s presidential office, Andriy Yermak, said the man was a Ukrainian prisoner of war and that the incident was part of a “deliberate policy of terror” by Russia.
“The murder of a captive is the latest Russian war crime,” Mr Yermak tweeted. “For every such war crime there will be retribution.”
Ukrainian and Western authorities say there is evidence that thousands of war crimes have been committed in Ukraine since Russia invaded the country in February 2022. Russia has repeatedly denied that its forces have committed atrocities or attacked civilians.
“Before his death, [the man] reminded all of us of the meaning of the words ‘Glory to Ukraine!’,” Ukrainian deputy prime minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on Telegram. “And I also want every occupier, before their death, to remember this photo: a Ukrainian soldier with a cigarette and a fearless look.”
Mr Zelensky also committed his troops to holding out in Bakhmut, which Russia sees as a stepping stone to larger cities in the Donetsk region. Donetsk and the neighbouring Luhansk region form the area known as the Donbas, which Moscow is keen to control.
Russia has sent thousands of troops in waves over recent weeks to try to capture Bakhmut and secure the Kremlin’s first battlefield victory in more than half a year, although both the US and Kyiv have sought to play down the strategic importance of Bakhmut, with Washington saying it is more of symbolic importance.
“The liberation of Artemovsk continues,” Russia’s defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, said in televised remarks on Tuesday, using the Soviet-era name for Bakhmut, which has been re-adopted by the invading Russians. “The city is an important hub for defending Ukrainian troops in the Donbas. Taking it under control will allow further offensive actions to be conducted deep into Ukraine’s defensive lines.”
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s foreign ministry has denied that Kyiv was involved in attempted sabotage at a Belarusian airfield last month. Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko had alleged that Ukrainian and US intelligence services were involved in the attack in late February, which was claimed by Belarusian anti-government activists.
Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report
