Ukraine’s military on Tuesday identified a soldier in a video circulating on social media who it said was shot by “Russian invaders”, and hailed him as a hero whose death was avenged. Will go
In a Facebook post, the 30th Mechanized Brigade named the man as Timofey Shadura. It said he had been missing since February 3 following hostilities around the eastern town of Bakhmut, the scene of some of the heaviest fighting of the war in Ukraine.
The brigade, part of Ukraine’s army, said a formal confirmation would be made after his body was returned from territory held by Russian forces.
The 12-second video shows an unarmed man in uniform smoking a cigarette while standing in a wooded area with a Ukrainian flag sign in his hand.
The man says “Slavic Ukrainian!” – or Glory to Ukraine – before several shots are heard from an unseen shooter or shooters. The man falls to the ground as bullets hit his body. A voice is heard saying “Die, bitch” in Russian.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said the video showed Russian occupiers killing a soldier, and the man was quickly hailed as a hero by Ukrainians on social media, with many users chanting “Heroim Slav” in response. posted.
“According to preliminary information, the deceased is a soldier of the 30th separate mechanized brigade, Timofey Mykolayovich Shadura,” the brigade’s Facebook post said.
“The command of the 30th separate mechanized brigade and the Hero’s brothers express their condolences to their relatives and friends. Our Hero’s revenge will be inevitable. Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the heroes!” Said this.
criminal case
The phrase “Glory to Ukraine” and the response “Heroim Slav”, or “Glory to the Heroes”, have been hallmarks of post-Soviet Ukraine, but have had special significance as a common greeting in public life from the beginning. Of war
Reuters was not immediately able to verify the authenticity, date or location of the video. Russia’s Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to questions about this.
A lawyer who was wounded in the fighting last year said he was collecting money for a reward to anyone who identified those responsible. He personally pledged $1,000.
Ukrainian officials did not say where or when the shootings took place.
Within hours, #GloryToUkraine became one of the top trending hashtags on Twitter.
Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Andrey Kostin said that Ukraine’s security service had registered the shooting as a criminal case under a section of the criminal code covering violations of war laws and customs.
Ukrainian and Western officials say there is evidence of thousands of war crimes committed in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in February 2022. Russia has repeatedly denied that its military has committed atrocities or attacked civilians.
