Ukraine identifies Russian war criminal who decapitated Ukrainian POW – Ukrainian Intelligence
The identity of the Russianwar criminal that beheaded a Ukrainian prisoner of war has been established, Ukrainian Military Intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov, told Radio NV in an April 17 interview.
When asked about the perpetrator of the war crime, Budanov replied, “Yes... We know who he is.” He declined to disclose the person’s whereabouts.
Budanov pointed out that all those involved in similar incidents in the past were no longer alive, suggesting that this war criminal could face a similar fate.
He clarified that incidents of this kind of violence are “isolated.”
A video emerged on Russian Telegram channels on April 11 showing Russian-backed militants beheading a Ukrainian soldier with a knife. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) launched an immediate investigation.
Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar has asked that speculation about the identity of the victim not be made public until the official conclusion is released.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on world leaders to respond to the atrocities committed by Russian thugs. International politicians, including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, and Secretary-General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejcinovic-Buric, have condemned the crime.
On April 13, Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets reported that the Main Intelligence Directorate had preliminary information about the identity and location of the person who executed the Ukrainian soldier in the video.
This is not the only incident of this nature to have recently occurred. On April 10, Russian social media featured images of the remains of a Ukrainian soldier’s head, apparently placed on a stake in an unidentified location, possibly in Bakhmut.
According to ISW analysts, social media users have already been reminded of similar incidents involving decapitated skulls on stakes in Popasna, Luhansk Oblast, where Wagner mercenaries operated in the spring and summer of 2022.
CNN reported on a different video that appeared on Russian Telegram channels on April 8. The footage shows the decapitated bodies of two Ukrainian soldiers lying on the ground next to a destroyed military vehicle. It was likely filmed by Russian Wagner mercenaries, and journalists believe it was filmed recently. In addition to the decapitations, their hands look to be severed. (Note: the U.S. channel does not provide a link.)
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