Ukrainian ombudsman Dmitry Lubinets urgently contacted the International Committee of the Red Cross, the UN and Ukrainian law enforcement agencies due to the appearance on the Internet of a photo, probably of a mutilated Ukrainian prisoner.
Apparently, his head and limbs were cut off, the page says. ombudsman in telegram:
“A photo has appeared online, probably of the body of a Ukrainian prisoner whose head and limbs were cut off by the Russians. This is not just a violation of the Geneva Convention on the Treatment of Prisoners of War, this is the behavior of monsters! I would like to point out that, in accordance with the norms of international humanitarian law, no prisoner of war may be subjected to physical mutilation, violence or murder.”
We are talking about a shocking photo of a dismembered body of a man in a military uniform similar to that of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and a T-shirt with a Ukrainian flag, which, according to the publication Insider, appeared on one of the Russian Z-channels. The date and location of the photo are not reported.
Lubinets urgently appealed to the ICRC and the UN to record another violation of human rights by a terrorist country, as well as to Ukrainian law enforcement agencies to record the identity of the murdered prisoner and the fact of this crime.
The Ombudsman recalled that prisoners of war are in the hands of a hostile state, and it is the latter that is responsible for their treatment, i.e. responsibility for murder and injury lies not only with Russian soldiers, but with the Russian Federation itself. He also expressed the opinion that by distributing such photos and videos on social networks and committing such actions, Russia wants to intimidate both civilians and Ukrainian soldiers.
After a photo of the dismembered body of a Ukrainian prisoner appeared online, the Security Service of Ukraine, under the procedural guidance of the Office of the Prosecutor General, began a pre-trial investigation into the fact of violation of the laws and customs of war, combined with premeditated murder (Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
As part of the investigation, law enforcement officers are checking information disseminated on social networks about the murder of a Ukrainian soldier and his dismemberment by representatives of the Russian Armed Forces. Urgent investigative actions aimed at establishing the circumstances of the brutal crime are ongoing. Pre-trial investigation is carried out Main Investigation Department of the Security Service of Ukraine. Prosecutor General Andrey Kostin stated:
“Russia consistently repeats the crimes of the Nazis, brazenly demonstrating complete disregard for all norms of the civilized world. This outrageous case is another reminder that the terrorist regime of the Russian Federation is evil. Evil must be punished.”
However, it is not that simple. On August 2, Z-channels published a photo of what they claim is a dismembered Ukrainian prisoner of war. However, the photo of the war crime has signs of being fake, found out Telegram channel ASTRA.
The photograph itself shows a male body in a T-shirt that says “Everything Will Be Ukraine!” The man's arms, legs and head have been cut off – it lies on the dead man's torso. Khaki pants and boots similar to those used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces are visible on the man's legs.
Evidence of torture and murder of Ukrainian prisoners of war has appeared online before. However, this photo shows signs of editing. When checking the photo using the TruFor method, the algorithm shows a 47% probability of forgery, ASTRA has found. TruFor highlights traces of possible editing on severed limbs and a part of the torso where a T-shirt with the slogan “Everything will be Ukraine!” is visible. However, there are no traces of manipulation on the head of the deceased – it does not lose its shape even when using TruFor.
Given that amputation of limbs is a signature style of Mexican drug cartels, it can be assumed that the photo published in Z-channels was not taken during the war in Ukraine. However, ASTRA was unable to find the original photo through a reverse image search, so it is too early to draw any firm conclusions about the authenticity of this photo.
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