In the graphic 12-second clip that first circulated on Telegram and was widely shared on Twitter, a detained combatant, named by the Ukrainian military as Tymofiy Mykolayovych Shadura, is seen standing in a shallow trench smoking a cigarette. The soldier, in uniform with a Ukrainian flag insignia on his arm, says "Glory to Ukraine" and is then apparently shot with automatic weapons.
He slumps to the ground as bullets appear to hit his body and a voice is heard saying: "Die, bitch" in Russian.
The Ukrainian military said in a statement that Shadura was a member of the 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade and had been missing since 3 February near Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. Some Ukrainian media and bloggers have cast doubt on whether the man was Shadura.
"Currently, the body of our serviceman is in the temporarily occupied territory. The final confirmation of the identity can be established after the return of the body and the relevant examinations," the military said.
This story is from the March 08, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the March 08, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
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