ROME - The conflict in Ukraine is highlighted by two videos depicting starkly different scenarios. One video portrays prisoners of war seemingly alive, while the other shows their tragic demise.
A video obtained reveals soldiers bearing Russian uniform markings executing Ukrainian forces who had surrendered. Simultaneously, a second video, captured by a Russian drone, offers a contrasting narrative, illustrating Moscow's perspective on the event.
These videos, when analyzed collectively, unveil a broader context during a critical juncture in the three-year war. Mounting evidence of alleged atrocities casts a shadow on prospects for accountability. Against this backdrop, U.S. President Donald Trump's pursuit of a peace agreement and alignment with Russian President Vladimir Putin's narratives raise concerns, particularly as war crimes prosecutors seek Putin's appearance in court.
Here's a breakdown of the images and their implications:
The footage was captured by Ukraine's 128th Mountain Brigade near Piatykhatky in southern Ukraine on March 13. The video was shared with a European country's military officials, who then provided it, on condition of anonymity, citing lack of authorization.
The video depicts four surrendered Ukrainian soldiers lying face down. Following a search, a soldier, identified as Russian, opens fire on the prisoners. Another soldier joins, firing before reloading. A third soldier then fires at close range, fatally striking one of the men in the head. The soldier who reloaded proceeds to execute the remaining four systematically.
A separate video, recorded by a Russian drone on the same day and location, surfaced on pro-Kremlin social media. Accompanied by ominous music, it shows three Russian soldiers escorting the surrendering Ukrainians from a ruined house at gunpoint. The video concludes with the Ukrainian soldiers alive on the ground.
The Zaporizhzhia region in southern Ukraine has been heavily impacted by intense fighting, as both sides vie for territory in anticipation of potential peace talks.
Ukraine's 128th Mountain Brigade refrained from commenting, citing an ongoing investigation into suspected war crimes. Ukraine's internal security agency confirmed the commencement of its own inquiry.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has not issued a response to requests for comments regarding the incident.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Russia adheres to international law in its treatment of Ukrainian troops who surrender and does not condone the killing of prisoners of war.
A prior Russian Foreign Ministry report claimed that Ukrainian soldiers systematically kill Russian POWs, without offering specific figures.
Rollo Collins of the Center for Information Resilience, stated, "Out of all the executions that we've seen since late 2023, it's one of the clearest cases... Our assessment is that this is not a typical combat killing. This is an illegal action."
According to Ukrainian prosecutors and United Nations officials, there has been a surge in extrajudicial killings of Ukrainian POWs, and high-ranking Russian officials are encouraging it.
Danielle Bell, head of the U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, said, "We've documented a startling spike in the number of executions of captured Ukrainian service persons...it's contributing to an environment that allows such acts or these crimes to take place."
Ukrainian prosecutors report that at least 245 Ukrainian POWs have been killed by Russian forces since the war began.
Yurii Bielousov, head of the war crimes department for Ukraine's prosecutor general, commented, "It's definitely part of the policy, which is fully supported by the top leaders of the Russian Federation...It is supported on the top level."
Since August 2024, the U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has documented 91 extrajudicial killings of Ukrainian POWs, while finding one case of Ukrainian soldiers killing a Russian POW.
Bielousov assured that all allegations against Ukrainian troops are under investigation.
Ukraine has recorded over 157,000 incidents of potential war crimes since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has consistently emphasized that accountability for war crimes should be part of any peace agreement.
Russia’s Investigative Committee has initiated over 5,700 criminal cases into alleged Ukrainian crimes since the war began.
The Trump administration withdrew support for a multinational effort to investigate Russian leaders for aggression in Ukraine and imposed sanctions on key staff of the International Criminal Court.
Cuts to U.S. foreign aid have hindered groups that collect evidence and work with Ukrainian authorities. Questions also arise regarding potential amnesty for Russian officials as part of a U.S.-brokered peace deal.
Stephen Rapp, former U.S. ambassador-at-large for war crimes issues, believes the absence of U.S. support will reduce the likelihood of prosecutions.
Bielousov stated, "Ukraine is not ready to forgive everything which happened in our territory."