The prosecutor general said his office had received information that Russian commanders had given orders “not to capture Ukrainian servicemen, but instead to kill them with inhuman cruelty – by beheading.” His post was accompanied by a blurred picture showing a military vehicle with a severed head on the hood.
In a June 19 post, Kostin said the soldier’s identity had been established, but his name would not be released just yet “as procedures are underway for final confirmation of his data.” He also identified Russian commanders potentially responsible for the beheading, condemning Russia’s total disregard for international law.
Russia is accused of committing numerous war crimes during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, including the execution of captive Ukrainian soldiers. The Prosecutor General’s Office in Ukraine has collected pretrial information on over 128,000 victims of war crimes as of March 2024.
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