Russia's invasion forces are accused of executing Ukrainian prisoners of war (POW) in cold blood in closely-fought zones like Kursk. They are mostly shot while some are also put to the sword, reports claim.
The war crimes committed across the forest terrain of the conflict zone see the light of day only if caught by the drones hovering above or leaked from the mobile phones of soldiers involved. Russian forces often shoot their comrades executing captured enemy fighters on mobile phones, reports said.
Many Ukrainian POWs thus executed are seen being shot with their hands tied behind. Some others are forced to dig their own grave before being gunned down, media reports claimed citing war footage available on the internet. However, at least one video of beheading and other instances of swords being used to execute prisoners have also been confirmed.
In the battle-ravaged Kursk region, nine captured Ukrainian soldiers were reportedly shot dead by Russia in October. The execution-style killings were confirmed by Kyiv after aerial photos showed the lifeless bodies of the victims. They were all stripped to their underwear, reports said.
Despite the lack of quality of this footage, families and colleagues can sometimes identify the fallen fighters. In one such heartbreaking development, one of the men among the nine executed Ukrainian defenders was recognised by his mother.
20-year-old Ruslan Holubenko, a drone operator, was identified by his mother despite the body being almost naked. The woman knew the underwear her son was wearing when captured and killed, BBC said in a report.
It was bought for him by her when the family went vacationing by the beach, she reportedly told local media. The young drone operator had sustained a bullet injury on his shoulder. The mother also found the same mark on the body, helping to affirm it was indeed her son, the BBC report added.
Since the woods of the Kursk region have common features, it is almost impossible to pinpoint where these executions are carried out by the Russian army. The footage shot on mobile phones gets leaked, mostly on Telegram, many weeks or months after being shot. This also poses a challenge for investigators trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
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Meanwhile, Moscow's troops continue to slowly advance in eastern Ukraine. Russia's Defence Ministry said Saturday that its forces had taken control of the village of Kostiantynopolske in Ukraine's Donetsk province, just six miles from the besieged city of Kurakhove, which they are trying to encircle.
