The New York Times has confirmed the authenticity of the video of the alleged killing of Russian prisoners of war, but the circumstances of the death from the video cannot be established, the newspaper explains.
The New York Times analyzed all videos from Makiivka and offered its own version of events. Here are the highlights from the investigation:
Before the appearance of a man in black in the courtyard of a rural house, there are four Ukrainian soldiers: one lies with a machine gun on the ground and aims at the shed, from where unarmed Russian soldiers come out and lie face down on the ground in the yard (at least 6 people are on the ground, all the soldiers are alive); the second Ukrainian soldier is standing behind the machine gunner, the third is walking around the yard with a rifle in his hands, the fourth is lying on the ground and examining the body, probably a dead Russian soldier.
The Russian soldier in black, who shot at the Ukrainians, was probably killed on the spot, he is lying on the same side from where he opened fire. The white brick wall he emerged from is damaged, possibly by return fire from Ukrainian forces.
Medical adviser Dr. Rohini Haar of Physicians for Human Rights believes that most of the Russian military were shot in the head while lying unarmed with their arms outstretched or with their hands behind their heads.
Drawing conclusions based on the available video evidence alone is difficult, said Iva Vukusic, an expert on war crimes prosecution at Utrecht University. According to her, if the Russian military were shot during the shooting, this is not necessarily a crime. But if a Russian soldier in black feigned surrender and deceived the Ukrainian military, this could also be classified as a war crime and prosecuted under the Geneva Conventions.
Last week, videos from Makiivka sparked outrage from pro-Russian military correspondents and Russian state media. The Russian Council for Human Rights announced that it would send the video to international organizations, the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case.
Ukraine has promised to conduct its own investigation. In the first video, the Ukrainian military captivates people dressed in Russian uniforms. NYT draws attention to the fact that the fighters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine stand calmly and do not aim at the prisoners.
Recall that the video ends abruptly when another person appears in the frame and a sound is heard that looks like a gunshot.
The second recording above the same place shows the bodies of 12 soldiers, traces of blood are visible nearby. What happened between the two videos is unknown. The NYT writes that the last Russian soldier who left the house probably tried to resist and started shooting.
Russia turned to international organizations about the incident. Ukrainian policemen are still studying the video. The Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights made a preliminary conclusion: Russian troops staged a surrender and opened fire. In that case, return fire is not a war crime, he said.
Russia accused Ukraine of killing prisoners – the authenticity of the video has not been confirmed
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.