Drone footage has surfaced in Ukraine showing a group of Russian soldiers executing a lone Ukrainian citizen who tried to surrender.
The video, obtained by German broadcaster ZDF and filmed March 7, shows a silver car driving on the E40 European expressway west of Kyiv.
The car was heading towards Kyiv, but upon seeing a Russian tank and a group of soldiers parked by the roadside, the driver veered sharply before braking and coming to a stop.
The man got out of the car and immediately raised his hands above his head, turning to face the Russian soldiers, clearly demonstrating surrender.
But after a few seconds, he was shot in cold blood.
Moments later, a gang of soldiers is seen grabbing the lifeless body of a civilian and dragging it into nearby trees.
The drone operator, a member of the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Force in Kyiv, said a woman and a child were also in the vehicle, who were later taken prisoner by Russian forces.
The killing of civilians, especially those who do not pose a threat, is considered a war crime under international humanitarian law.
However, the Russian authorities continue to insist that their forces have only targeted strategic military targets and are not waging war against Ukrainian civilians.
The car is driving towards Kyiv, but after seeing a Russian tank and a group of soldiers parked on the side of the road (pictured), the driver makes a quick U-turn before braking and stopping.
The man gets out of the car and immediately raises his arms above his head, turning to face the Russian soldiers, clearly demonstrating surrender.
Seconds later, he is shot in cold blood. Moments later, a gang of soldiers is seen grabbing the lifeless body of a civilian and dragging it into nearby trees. A woman and a child also rode in a car and were taken prisoner.
The execution took place here, near a gas station on the E40 highway west of Kyiv.
The execution of a civilian took place just meters from another car, which appeared to have been abandoned on the road near a gas station on the E40 expressway west of Kyiv after being damaged.
The silver car was later towed and burned, according to a Ukrainian drone operator who introduced himself only as “Splinter” and explained that he had been assigned to use a Mavic III drone to monitor Russian tank positions.
The shocking incident took place near a gas station just 10 miles from the cities of Irpin and Bucha, which have been devastated by brutal Russian bombing in recent days, resulting in many civilian deaths and mass evacuations.
The Ukrainian capital remains under the firm control of the Ukrainian military and territorial defense forces, and all Russian attempts to break into the city center have been successfully repelled.
But in recent days, Russia has launched a sustained bombing campaign against Kyiv, targeting civilian buildings as well as administrative centers to cause significant damage to the city’s infrastructure, as has been seen in other urban centers such as the second city of Kharkiv and the southern port city of Mariupol.
Russian troops suffered heavy casualties and thus failed to capture any of Ukraine’s largest cities, despite claims by Western officials that Moscow thought it would win the conflict within days.
But the civilian death toll continues to rise as Russian bombing attacks target residential areas.
In recent days, Russia has launched a sustained bombing campaign against Kyiv, targeting civilian buildings as well as administrative centers to cause significant damage to the city’s infrastructure.
Debris littered the ground near a ten-story apartment building hit by shelling that took place in the Podilskyi district early Tuesday morning, March 15, in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine.
Consequences of shelling by Russian troops of a residential building in the Svyatoshinsky district of Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Monday evening confirmed that a total of 691 civilians have died since the invasion began on February 24, but the true number is believed to be much higher.
Russian forces have stepped up fighting in the suburbs of Kyiv, especially around the city of Bucha in the northwest and along the highway leading west towards Zhytomyr, regional head Oleksiy Kuleba said this morning.
It is reported that 12 settlements around Kyiv were left without water and six without heat.
According to Mr. Kuleba, throughout the metropolitan area, “kindergartens, museums, churches, residential buildings and engineering infrastructure suffer from endless shelling.”
He said Russian forces were trying to cut off transport links to the capital and destroy logistical capabilities while planning a large-scale attack to capture the capital.