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They surrendered to the Russians but they reportedly were shot and killed, anyway.
Knewz.com has learned that’s the latest accusation from Ukraine against the Russian army, based on a social media video.
It’s not clear when the video was recorded. But the Ukrainian government claimed on Saturday, December 2 that it shows a Russian war crime.
“The video shows a group of people in Russian uniforms shooting at point-blank range,” a statement from Ukrainian prosecutors said.
It describes the victims as “two unarmed servicemen in the uniform of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who were surrendering.”
The video indicates the men came out of a bunker at gunpoint. One lay down on the ground after holding up his hands. The other hit the ground after stumbling out.
“The execution of those who surrender is a war crime,” Ukrainian human rights activist Dmytro Lubinets said on Telegram hours after the video was released.
But Reuters noted it’s not clear if the video is authentic. Russia’s Defense Ministry has yet to comment, but it has denied any war crimes by Russian military personnel.
The Guardian newspaper in Britain reported Ukraine’s government is conducting its own inquiry into the video.
The video came out from the Ukrainian military blog Deepstate. It reportedly was recorded along the front lines near Avdiivka.
While that area has been a main battleground in recent weeks, the mayor of Avdiivka says the amount of ground fighting has dropped during the first weekend of December.
“There are fewer and fewer [Russian] people willing to go on assaults voluntarily,” Vitaliy Barabash said. “There are more and more refuseniks.”
Ukraine’s military says its soldiers still control the city. But much of it is in ruins, as Russian soldiers surround it on three sides.
While things are quieter, Barabash said his city is “starting to look like Maryinka, a settlement that basically no longer exists.”
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s security services confirmed that its former president was barred from leaving the country.
Petro Poroshenko wanted to travel to Hungary and meet with Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Ukraine considers Orban a Russian ally, as a security statement said he “systematically expresses an anti-Ukrainian position.”
Poroshenko also was barred from leaving Ukraine in May, when he planned to attend a NATO meeting in Lithuania.
Elsewhere, military leaders in Kherson said a 78-year-old man was killed when Russian shells hit the garage of his home.
“He died on the spot from the explosive injury,” officials reported on Telegram. The claim has yet to be independently confirmed.
The drone battle continued during the weekend, with Ukraine claiming Russia sent a dozen drones toward Ukraine Saturday night as well as a cruise missile. Ten of the drones reportedly were shot down.
Russia’s military reported that its attacks struck an ammunition arsenal as well as fuel depots.
Sunday, December 3 is special for Russia’s military, marking the Day of the Unknown Soldier. The event has been marked each year since 1966.