Sickening new images from the battlefield reportedly show three kneeling and surrendering Ukrainian paratroopers shot dead in cold blood by Vladimir Putin's brutal forces.
Ukrainian troops are seen kneeling with their hands behind their heads on the front line in the Russian-occupied Zaporizhia region.
Despite the low resolution of the video, the moment of recording is clearly visible. Smoke billows from the weapon apparently held by a Russian soldier, shortly before the men fall to the ground one after another.
Top Ukrainian officials have condemned the incident, claiming it shows that Putin's forces are “simply not human.”
The Kiev Prosecutor's Office said in a statement: 'The Russian army captured three Ukrainian defenders during a battle near the village of Robotyne, Zaporizhia region.
Smoke can be seen coming from the Russian soldier's weapon
The bodies of the Ukrainian soldiers were seen lying face down on the battlefield
'An hour later, in violation of Article 3 of the Geneva Convention on the Treatment of Prisoners of War, the occupiers shot them dead.
“A preliminary investigation is being conducted by investigators of the SBU (Ukrainian Intelligence Service) department in the Zaporizhia region.”
“This is yet another case of gross violation of international humanitarian law regarding the treatment of prisoners of war by the attacking country.”
Although the video must be checked and verified before it can be used as evidence of a war crime, the shooting appears to be an abhorrent violation of the rules of conflict.
Ukrainian journalist Andriy Tsaplienko of TSN TV channel called the triple shooting “yet another war crime committed by the Russians.”
Russian occupiers shot captured paratroopers in one of the frontline areas.
“This video will become a new document at the international tribunal.
'It shows how three paratroopers were brought to their knees and shot from a distance of several meters.
Ukraine has been occupied for the past 22 months
'The execution of the prisoners is being watched by a person in uniform standing behind them, probably a Russian soldier commanding the execution.
“The video made by the drone is confirmation that the occupiers are simply not human.”
Putin's forces “do not follow the rules and customs of war,” he said.
He claimed that “their goal, just like these soldiers, is to destroy all Ukrainians, just like these soldiers.”
Earlier this month, harrowing images from near Avdiivka showed the moment “two surrendering Ukrainian troops are mercilessly shot by Russian forces.”
The chilling video showed an unarmed Ukrainian soldier emerging from a trench with his hands above his head.
He apparently obeys the instructions of the Russian invaders and lies face down on the ground.
A second Ukrainian from the 45th Separate Rifle Battalion then emerges from the underground corridor and is quickly shot by a hail of machine gun fire.
The first soldier stands up to see what is happening and is also shot dead in a cloud of smoke.
The latest images come as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), General Valerii Zaluzhny, said he had underestimated how much blood Putin was willing to shed in the war.
“I thought the number of casualties we caused would stop everyone. But not the Russian Federation,” he said.
On Wednesday, the Kremlin tried to scare the EU by claiming that any aid to Ukraine would not affect the invasion and would only hurt European economies.
The Financial Times reported on Tuesday that the EU was preparing a back-up plan with financing worth up to 20 billion euros (£17.38 billion) for Kiev.
The debt-financed plan would bypass Hungary, which opposes such aid to Ukraine, allowing the EU to quickly release the funds to Kiev.
Asked about the report, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, without citing specific examples, claimed that EU taxpayers were beginning to understand that their money was being misspent by authorities in Ukraine.
“Both Europeans and Americans are already well aware of the level of corruption (in Ukraine) and they understand that a fair share of this money is stolen,” Peskov told a regular news briefing.
“Both Europeans and Americans are already well aware of the level of corruption (in Ukraine) and they understand that a fair share of this money is stolen,” Peskov told a regular news briefing.
'This money will not be able to change the course of events. “This money is being allocated at the expense of EU economies that are already going through difficult times,” he said.
Peskov reiterated that Moscow would continue what it called its special military operation in Ukraine until it “achieves the goals set before us.”
Moscow has previously said its military operations in Ukraine are aimed at demilitarizing and “denazification” of the country. Kiev and its Western allies say Moscow is bent on an imperialist land grab in Ukraine.
The EU agreed on December 14 to open membership talks with Ukraine despite the ongoing military conflict, but due to opposition from Hungary they were unable to agree on a €50 billion financial aid package for Kiev.
EU leaders, who prefer an agreement supported by all member states but also have a plan B that would bypass Hungary, are expected to discuss the issue again at an emergency summit in February.
Kiev says it is doing its best to tackle any corruption.
Ukraine's SBU Security Service and the Ministry of Defense said earlier this month that they had uncovered a scheme for the fraudulent purchase of artillery shells, embezzling nearly $40 million.