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A video purportedly depicting a Ukrainian prisoner of war being shot by Russian soldiers has been circulating on Telegram channels, such as the channel Trukha, which has over 2 million followers.
There is currently no independent confirmation of the authenticity of the video, and the identity of the man in the video has not yet been established.
In the video, a man stands by a ditch, smoking. A voice behind the camera then says: “Take him out.” The unarmed man replies with “Glory to Ukraine” and is then executed by an automatic weapon.
The head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Andriy Yermak, has already commented on the footage, calling the video “another example of Russia's national insignificance and weakness”: “There will be punishment for every such war crime. No one will dodge justice. We'll find them all.”
Russian propaganda channels have also begun circulating the video, without questioning the authenticity of the footage.
According to the Geneva Conventions, no physical or moral torture and no other coercive measures can be applied to prisoners of war. According to the Article 3, Section 1 of Part 3 of the Conventions, prisoners of war – even if they refuse to talk – may not be threatened, insulted, harassed or restricted in any way:
“No physical or mental torture, nor any other form of coercion, may be inflicted on prisoners of war to secure from them information of any kind whatever. Prisoners of war who refuse to answer may not be threatened, insulted, or exposed to unpleasant or disadvantageous treatment of any kind.”