Video of execution of Ukrainian serviceman may be caused by internal struggle of power elites in Russia - Defense Ministry
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine suggests that the release of the video of the execution of a Ukrainian soldier is part of the internal struggle of elites in Russia.
This was stated by Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar, reports Censor.NЕТ with reference to Ukrinform.
"There may be different reasons why this video has appeared now. The first is that perhaps they want to intimidate us, although it is very difficult to imagine how we can be intimidated after what we have already been through this year. The second is perhaps a struggle within the Russian power elites. There are now speculations as to which unit could have done this. Perhaps this is an intraspecific struggle within the Russian Federation itself. They are trampling on each other in this way, releasing such videos to the public," Maliar said.
Answering the question of why Russians in general shoot such sadistic videos, the deputy minister said that there may be several explanations. One of them, she said, is the unit's report that the task has been completed, and the second option is that the people who implemented it were obviously not doing it for the first time and get some satisfaction and self-affirmation from it.
At the same time, Maliar noted that it is very good that these crimes do not remain completely hidden, because if this video did not exist, we would most likely not have learned about it, and the perpetrators would not have been able to be punished.
"Thanks to this video, there is a chance to convict the people who committed this crime at the international level. It is very important how the world evaluates this. After all, we are talking about aggression, crimes against humanity and genocide of the Ukrainian people. An international legal assessment is extremely important here," the Deputy Defense Minister emphasized.
As a reminder, a video has been posted online showing a captured Ukrainian soldier being beheaded by Russian war criminals from the Rusych State Specialized Reconnaissance Group.
The Defense Intelligence of Ukraine said that the invaders are trying to intimidate the Ukrainian Defense Forces with such publications.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that no one in the world can ignore Russian terror.
CNN reported that two videos of beheadings of Ukrainian soldiers have been posted on social media: one filmed now and one in the summer.
