The Ukrainian soldier has been captured. He is unarmed. When the Russian soldiers ask him to say something nice about Russia, he shouts “glory to Ukraine” instead. Then he is shot straight down.
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The Ukrainian military has now released the name of the soldier: Tymofij Mykolaivych Shadura, 30 years old.
In a message on Telegram, it is stated that he has been missing since 3 February.
The military emphasizes that the information is only preliminary, and that the soldier’s identity can only be confirmed when the remains are returned to Ukraine.
The area where the body is located is controlled by Russian forces, according to the message.
According to the Ukrainian brigade, he was killed by Russian soldiers. Video clips of the incident apparently show a clean execution of an unarmed prisoner of war.
If so, it is a war crime.
Asking for investigation
The 30th mechanized brigade has published the name and picture of the man on its Facebook page. The identification of the soldier has been confirmed by the Ukrainian General Staff, also on Facebook.
He should have been identified on the basis of the grotesque video that was posted on social media on Monday. The video shows a man in Ukrainian uniform shouting “glory to Ukraine”, between two puffs from the cigarette he has in his mouth.
Soon after, the unarmed man is executed with many shots.
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has asked the International Criminal Court to investigate the recording.
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– Must find the murderers
The incident has not been confirmed by independent sources, but the case has been commented on by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj and discussed in a number of international media, including CNN.
– A video shows how the occupiers execute a soldier because he is brave and tells them “glory to Ukraine”. I think we should all react by saying together “glory to the hero”, “glory to the heroes”, “glory to Ukraine”, says the president, and continues:
– We must find the murderers.
According to the brigade, the soldier was involved in the fighting for the city of Bakhmut, which is still ongoing, when he went missing. The brigade sends its condolences to the man’s family, adding:
– Revenge will be inevitable.
– Brutal extermination
The General Staff in Kyiv writes that “the shooting of an unarmed prisoner is a cynical and brazen violation of international humanitarian law and the customs of war. This is the sort of thing worthless murderers do, not soldiers.”
It goes on to say that “the Russian occupiers have once again shown that their goal in Ukraine is the brutal extermination of Ukrainians”.
The case is not covered in the Kremlin-controlled Russian media, but it is discussed in free Russian media based abroad.
– The descriptions are reminiscent of a pure execution, in a way that will certainly be investigated together with a long series of war crimes, says Lieutenant-Colonel Geir Hågen Karlsen at the Norwegian Defense Academy, to VG.
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VG at Bakhmut: Shooting day and night
The battlefield here has been referred to as a “meat grinder”. – We shoot day and night, says the Ukrainian front-line soldier Dima. VG is taken to the front line from the town of Kostjantynivka, 25 kilometers from Bakhmut, the town where the most violent fighting between Ukraine and Russia is now taking place.
During the extremely brutal fighting at Bakhmut, Russian forces have been winding their way towards the city center for a long time. But the Russians are also exposed to harsh counterattacks.
In a video clip that the Ukrainian Ministry of the Interior has released, and to which VG has gained access via the Reuters news agency, you can see how the Ukrainian National Guard uses a drone to uncover the position of seven mercenaries from the Russian Wagner group.
The information from the drone goes back to a Ukrainian detachment, which attacks with artillery fire, wiping out the small group of soldiers.
The meat grinder Bakhmut
Both sides have sacrificed large numbers of soldiers in the battles for Bakhmut, but Lieutenant Colonel Karlsen says he has seen estimates that the Russians have lost six times as many as the Ukrainians.
– It is always easier to hold a defensive line than to attack. Ukraine has made an assessment that it is worth holding the line, since the Russians are sacrificing large amounts of soldiers and ammunition, explains Karlsen.
– Bakhmut does not have any great strategic value. It is symbolically important for the Russians, because they have no victories to show for a long time. It is also important for the Wagner group, since it has used the battles for the city to position itself, he elaborates.
In conflict with the Wagner group
Russia has another version: The capture of the city, which is located in the far east of Ukraine, will open the way for Russian forces to launch further military offensives, according to Russia’s defense minister.
– The city is an important defense center for Ukrainian forces in Donbas. Capturing it would open up further offensive operations deep into the defense lines of Ukraine’s armed forces, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said during a televised meeting with military officers on Tuesday.
At the same time, there is conflict between ordinary Russian forces and the disputed Wagner group, as to who will actually win the city. The Wagner group has long claimed that it is the one that has faced the hardest battles.
The founder of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, claims that the entire front line will collapse if the Russian mercenary group is forced to retreat. He also complains that the group lacks ammunition, according to a message on Telegram.
Published: 07.03.23 at 13:55
Updated: 07.03.23 at 14:18
