One of the strange aspects of the conflict is that Russian troops not just commit war crimes but film themselves doing so. Another one was released today: a captured soldier surrounded by his soon-to-be executioners. He is standing over a hole he appears to have dug himself. He looks at his Russian captors with contempt, smoking a cigarette and then says ‘Glory to Ukraine’. He is then shot dead. Where and when the video was shot is not yet known.
To publish such videos, the Russian soldiers have to be sure that they won’t be punished for it by their own command
This is not the first time Russians have publicly committed war crimes. In July last year, Russian Telegram channels shared a video where two Russian soldiers castrate a Ukrainian prisoner of war with a clerical knife. The distribution of such videos not only traumatises Ukrainians but also violates the rights of the tortured and murdered men, who will eventually be identified by their families and friends.
Are these videos rogue? Soldiers throughout recent history have filmed themselves abusing prisoners: readers might recall US soldier Lynndie England photographing herself humiliating Iraqi soldiers in Abu Grahib in 2003. The torture and murder of prisoners of war not only contradicts the Geneva Convention on treating prisoners but also violates the legislation and statutes of the Russian army. So to commit such crimes – and publish such videos – the Russian soldiers have to be sure that they won’t be punished for it by their own command.
The release of today’s video comes at a sensitive time amid rumours of a possible Ukrainian retreat from the soon-to-be-encircled city of Bakhmut. Ukraine is split. Some believe that the city is doomed and that a retreat will save the lives of Ukrainian troops; others think the fight must go on as the fall of Bakhmut will put other cities under Russian artillery fire. A report in Bild, the German tabloid newspaper, has said Zelensky wants to keep fighting but Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s forces, has asked to withdraw. Zelensky’s office took the unusual step of denying the story today saying they both want to hold the city.
To release footage of the barbaric execution of a Ukrainian soldier may be intended to break Ukrainians and make them demand that the Ukrainian government abandon the city Russia has been failing to capture for over six months.
But meanwhile, those documenting Russian war crimes now have another case. More than 68,000 committed war crimes have been recorded by Ukrainian and international prosecutors since the beginning of the full-scale war. This includes murder, torture and sexual violence, as well as the deportation of children, shelling of civilian infrastructure and more. Russia, of course, does not recognise any international authorities. It’s quite clear that they believe they will never be held accountable for war crimes.
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