Russia spat on the Geneva Convention and tried new tactics on the battlefield
A Ukrainian armed forces drone captured video showing Russian troops using captured Ukrainian soldiers as human shields in offensive operations, according to Radio Free Europe, whose journalists were among the first to see the footage.
The video is said to show Russian soldiers escorting three prisoners who were first on the battlefield, then opening fire behind them. The Russians began to retreat and the unarmed prisoners were sent back until one of them was shot.
According to the article, the video was filmed in the Zaporizhia region of Ukraine, near the village of Robotynya. A timer in the upper left corner of the video shows that the footage was captured on November 29. between 15.09 and 15.15 local time.
According to Radio Free Europe, the Russian soldiers involved in the attacks belong to the 234th Airborne Regiment.
An investigation into violations of the laws and customs of war has reportedly been launched.
The material was prepared based on the statements of the Prosecutor’s Office of the Zaporizhia Region, the Stratkom of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and the Human Rights Commissioner of the Ukrainian Parliament, Dmytro Lubintsev.
Ukraine’s ombudsman Dmytro Lubintsev confirmed that a video was circulated in the media showing Russians leading captured (unarmed) Ukrainian soldiers at gunpoint towards and hiding behind Ukrainian positions.
AP/Scanpix/Russian soldiers
“The video shows the moment a grenade explodes near a group of Russian soldiers and unarmed Ukrainian prisoners,” the statement said.
The material also captures the moment when a Russian soldier fires a shot at unarmed people running in the opposite direction from the positions of the Ukrainian armed forces. A few seconds later, when the drone operator zooms in again, the body of a soldier in the uniform of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is already lying on the ground.
D.Lubinec noted that if the actions recorded in the video are determined to be official and correct, it will show that Russia has violated another article of the Third Geneva Convention.
“Precisely Article 23, which states that no prisoner of war shall ever be sent to an area where he would be exposed to fire from a battle zone. Prisoners of war cannot also be used to protect any points or territories from military operations,” the ombudsman explained.
The prosecutor’s office of the Zaporizhia region announced that it has opened an investigation into the violation of the laws and customs of war. Priority investigation actions are currently underway.
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2024-08-06 07:44:49
