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A man seen shot dead by a Russian speaker in a short video was identified on Tuesday as a missing Ukrainian soldier after the footage went viral on Ukrainian social media and sparked unrest.
The country’s chief prosecutor announced a criminal investigation into the killing, and human rights chief Dmytro Lubinets argued that it violated the Geneva Conventions.
A senior Ukrainian official claimed, without providing further evidence, that the man was an unarmed prisoner of war killed by Russian soldiers. In the video, the man does not appear to be armed.
The 30th Mechanized Brigade on its Facebook page named the man as Tymofii Shadura. The identification is based on preliminary and not final information, he said.
Shadura has been missing for just over a month, since he disappeared during the fierce fighting in the Bakhmut region of eastern Ukraine, the post said. The city has become a hot spot of fighting as the war extends into its second year.
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The identity must be confirmed after the body is returned from Russian-held territory, the post added, though it did not say when that would happen.
The General Staff of the Ukrainian military gave the same name to the dead soldier, saying it was “according to preliminary information.”
‘We will find the killer,’ Zelenskyy said
In the 12-second video, a battle-weary man is seen in a wooded area smoking a cigarette.
Someone off camera is heard speaking in Russian. The man then said, “Glory to Ukraine,” and was hit by a gunshot, fell into a hole in the ground, with an off-camera voice saying, “Dead,” followed by an oath.
The Associated Press could not verify the authenticity of the video, details about when it was recorded or anything about the people involved.
Questions AP sent to the Russian military about the clip did not immediately receive a reply.
The video went viral on social media in Ukraine and sparked an outcry.
In a video speech every Monday night, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: “I want us all together, in unity, to respond to (the soldiers) the words: “Glory to heroes! Glory to the hero! Glory to Ukraine!” And we will find the killer.”
Moscow has also expressed suspicion about the treatment of Russian prisoners of war by Ukrainian forces.
Last November, Ukraine said it would open an investigation into video footage circulating on Russian social media, which Moscow alleged showed Ukrainian soldiers killing Russian soldiers who may have tried to surrender after one of them refused to lay down his weapon and open fire. fire.
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