Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets has appealed to the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) following the release of a disturbing video showing what appears to be the decapitated head of a Ukrainian soldier.
Violation of Humanitarian Law
The video surfaced on social media earlier this week and depicts a Russian soldier with a covered face holding a severed head on a stick, according to Digi24. The authenticity of the video has not been immediately verified.
Lubinets condemned the video as "another violation of international humanitarian law by Russia." He criticized the use of such footage as a tactic to intimidate and demoralize Ukrainians, asserting that it only strengthens Ukraine’s resolve to hold those responsible for such atrocities accountable.
The Ukrainian General Prosecutor’s Office is currently investigating the footage. Reports from Ukrainska Pravda indicate that an audio recording has emerged in which a Russian soldier orders the decapitation of four deceased Ukrainian soldiers, though this recording has not been publicly released.
Area of Intense Border Fights
According to the Ukrainian Telegram channel DeepState, the video was filmed at the Kolotilovka border checkpoint in Russia’s Belgorod region following a failed Ukrainian attack on August 12.
The area has seen intense cross-border skirmishes since August 6, with significant fighting reported in both Belgorod and the neighboring Kursk region.
DeepState also reported that the soldiers involved were from Russia’s 155th Naval Infantry Brigade, which has reportedly suffered heavy losses in Ukraine and had to replenish its ranks with mobilized recruits. The Kyiv Independent has not been able to independently verify these claims.
A similar incident occurred in June when a video allegedly showing the decapitated head of a Ukrainian soldier mounted on an armored vehicle appeared online.
Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin later stated that there were orders from Russian commanders to kill Ukrainian soldiers in a "cruel and inhumane" manner, rather than capture them.
