【2023. 3. 8 Ukraine/Russia】
“Uncle Cigarette” Executed by Shot: Ukrainian Prisoner of War Video and War Humanity Issues
“Glory to the heroes, glory to Ukraine!” Russia invaded Ukraine, and the eastern city of Bakhmut is still under siege. Recently, a 12-second video was circulated on social media, showing a Ukrainian prisoner of war suspected of being shot and executed by the Russian army. The Ukrainian soldier said to the camera, “Glory to Ukraine! “Then he was shot and killed on the spot. The film immediately caused an uproar in the international community. The Russian army violated the principles of humanity and inhumane killing methods, which became evidence of war crimes; Become a heroic symbol of Ukraine. Who were the prisoners of war who were killed? Will the controversy caused by the film affect the exchange of prisoners of war between Ukraine and Russia?
This 12-second video of Ukrainian prisoners of war recently caused an international uproar after it was exposed on the Telegram community platform. In the picture, a man in a military uniform with a Ukrainian badge on his arm smoked a cigarette and said to the camera: “Slava Ukraine” (Glory to Ukraine) before he was shot dead on the spot. At the beginning and end of the film, people outside the screen can be heard speaking Russian, and when the shot fell to the ground, the suspect who was the cameraman was also heard cursing in Russian.
The video should show the Ukrainian soldiers who were captured by the Russian army and were taken to the forest for execution. However, neither Ukrainian officials nor major foreign media are currently able to accurately verify the filming time, location and other details of the film. At present, the Ukrainian military has initially determined that the Ukrainian soldier executed in the picture should be the 40-year-old Tymofiy Shadura, who belongs to the 30th Independent Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Army. Shadura should have been fighting on the front line , The last figure to appear was Bachmut, who was besieged and fought fiercely on February 3, and disappeared afterwards. Therefore, it is suspected that he was captured by the Russian army and executed brutally.
But is the person in the film really the missing Shadullah? At present, Ukrainian officials are only making a “preliminary judgment” and cannot be 100% sure of the identity of the body until there is a way to identify the remains. At the same time, Shadullah’s sister told the “BBC” that the person in the video is indeed his younger brother Shadullah, “He must have the ability to fight against the Russians like this.” However, some reporters in the local Ukrainian media pointed out that Another said that it may be Oleksandr Igorevich Matsievskyi, a sniper from the 163rd Battalion of Homeland Defense of the Ukrainian Army, who was sent to Bakhmut in 2022. He was confirmed dead in February this year and his body was transported back to Ukraine.
Although the identity in the film has yet to be confirmed, the fearless death of the “Ukrainian man with a cigarette” has once again aroused the morale of Ukraine against the enemy, and it has also made Russia’s war crime of killing prisoners of war an international public opinion that cannot be ignored . Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded specifically to the video,
The video of the shooting of prisoners of war also aroused condemnation and anger from the international community, especially for Russia’s war crimes against humanity.Although Ukrainian officials have emphasized that killing unarmed and non-resisting prisoners of war is a clear violation of the Geneva Conventions that treat prisoners of war humanely, Russia, which has long ignored international norms, reported in July 2022 that the Ukrainians were mutilated and killed. In February 2023, there was also a Russian officer who defected from the front and accepted the British“Guardian”The interview revealed how the Russian army abused the captured Ukrainian soldiers. In addition to violent beatings, they even raped and recorded videotapes of prisoners of war.
The exposure of the film, in addition to re-igniting the anger of public opinion and condensing the morale of Ukraine, may also affect the subsequent exchange of prisoners of war between Ukraine and Russia. In fact, the two sides recently exchanged prisoners of war again. Ukrainian officials stated that 130 people had successfully returned from Russia. On the other hand, the Russian Ministry of Defense also confirmed that 90 prisoners of war from the Russian army also returned home.
▌Bachmut is still in the war of attrition
The Battle of Bakhmut, where Ukraine resisted the siege of the Russian army, is still being fought fiercely. Bakhmut is currently the most dangerous battlefield. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy《CNN》In an exclusive interview, he stated that Ukraine would stick to Bakhmut, and warned that if Russia captured Bakhmut, it would open an “open road” for the Russian army to continue attacking other Ukrainian cities.
The siege of Bakhmut has lasted for seven months. Recently, the Ukrainian army has expressed conservative views on whether to stick to it. The United States, the United Kingdom and other allies have repeatedly pointed out that the actual strategic value of Bakhmut is not high. However, this siege has made the The Russian army paid a heavy price,“Guardian”It is reported that the Russian army has suffered about 20,000 to 30,000 casualties. At the same time, although Ukraine’s battle damage figures have not been announced, Western officials and think tanks estimate that it is much less than Russia——《CNN》He also pointed out that the ratio of casualties between the Ukrainian army and the Russian army may reach 1:7.
Although the Western allies have relatively reserved attitudes toward Bakhmut, Ukraine still sends additional reinforcements to Bakhmut; at the same time, the Russian army continues to declare its determination to take down Bakhmut——”CNN” analysis, there is no progress on other fronts Under such circumstances, the Russian army, which urgently needs a “victory”, is obsessed with Bachmut beyond its real strategic value, and the Russian Ministry of Defense is worried about the mercenary Wagner Group due to the battle of Bachmut, gaining more dominance on the front line. Simultaneously increased troops to Bahemut.
But for the Russian army, putting its front-line combat power into Bakhmut may mean giving up other battlefields, and the Russian army’s heavy losses seem to be able to answer Ukraine’s statement and determination to stick to its position——Deputy Commander of the Ukrainian National Guard Official Volodymyr Nazarenko said:
On the other hand, since the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline between Russia and Germany was bombed at the end of 2022, the identity of the person leading the bombing operation remains a mystery, March 7“New York Times”Citing U.S. officials’ investigations, it reported that the sabotage was carried out by a pro-Ukrainian group, but the report did not name the group or identify its members, only saying that “there is no evidence that Zelensky or his right-hand The organization is acting under official Ukrainian orders”.
The construction of the Nord Stream pipeline, long before the outbreak of the Ukrainian-Russian War, sparked the controversy that Germany was too dependent on Russia. With the outbreak of the war, the existence of the Nord Stream Pipeline became more sensitive. The New York Times pointed out that at a time when Europe is facing soaring energy prices However, Ukraine’s involvement in the bombing of the Nord Stream pipeline may damage the current delicate relationship between U.S. and Germany. At present, there is still a gap in the investigation and understanding of the bombing of the Nord Stream pipeline between the United States and Europe. Whether and how the findings of the case will affect the Ukrainian-Russian war remains to be seen and evaluated.