Ukrainian officials condemn Russian forces over beheading video

Kyiv [Ukraine], April 13 : Ukrainian authorities have denounced Russian forces following the appearance of a video on social media of a Ukrainian prisoner being beheaded with a knife, reported Al Jazeera.

Al Jazeera was unable to independently confirm the authenticity of the video, which soon gained viral traction.

In the now-viral video, a soldier in uniform can be seen beheading a man sporting the yellow armband worn by Ukrainian soldiers.

A voice can be heard at the beginning of the video, which is severely blurred and suggests that the victim may have still been alive when the attack started.

The video was labelled "awful" by the Kremlin, which also demanded that its authenticity be investigated. Russia has previously refuted claims that its soldiers committed atrocities throughout the conflict.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, "There is something that no one in the world can ignore: how easily these beasts kill."

He added, "We are not going to forget anything. Neither are we going to forgive the murderers. There will be legal responsibility for everything. The defeat of terror is necessary."

The video was termed "horrific" by Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

Referring to the United Nations Security Council, where Russia took up the rotating presidency this month, Dmytro Kuleba tweeted, "It's absurd that Russia, which is worse than ISIS, is presiding over the UNSC." He added, "Russian terrorists must be kicked out of Ukraine and the UN and be held accountable for their crimes."

When ISIS (ISIL) held large portions of Iraq and Syria from 2014 to 2017, they were infamous for releasing footage of the beheadings of captives, as per Al Jazeera.

The SBU, Ukraine's domestic security orgsation, announced that it had started an inquiry into the alleged war crime.

The SBU agency wrote on Telegram, "Yesterday, a video appeared on the Internet showing how the Russian occupiers are showing their beastly nature - cruelly torturing a Ukrainian prisoner and cutting off his head."

Al Jazeera reported that the European Union also pledged to hold war criminals to account.

EU spokesperson Nabila Massrali said, "We don't have more information on the veracity of the video. Having said that, if confirmed, this is yet another brutal reminder about the inhumane nature of the Russian aggression."

She said, "The EU reiterates its firm commitment to holding to account all perpetrators and accomplices of war crimes committed in connection with Russia's war."

The video surfaced on pro-Russian social media accounts a few days after a separate video went viral showing the bodies of two decapitated Ukrainian soldiers next to a wrecked military vehicle.

Members of the Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary orgsation, are thought to have recorded it. The hands of the dead Ukrainian troops appear to have been severed, Al Jazeera reported.