Zelensky assails Russian 'beasts' over beheading video
Apr 13, 2023Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday denounced Russian "beasts" after a video appeared to show the beheading of a Ukrainian prisoner, prompting international outrage.
The European Union pledged to hold war criminals to account, while a UN mission in Ukraine said it was "appalled".
The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine also pointed to another video spreading online, saying it "shows mutilated bodies of apparent Ukrainian POWs".
It was not clear when or where the video was filmed. Ukrainian authorities said they were trying to identify the beheading victim.
Moscow and Kyiv have repeatedly accused each other of killing prisoners of war since Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops to invade Ukraine more than a year ago.
A number of videos alleging to show POW killings have made the rounds on the internet over the past year.
Following the emergence of a new video, Zelensky said in an address posted to social media that "the world must see" what he called an "execution" of a Ukrainian captive.
"There is something that no one in the world can ignore: how easily these beasts kill," the grim-faced Ukrainian leader said.
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