The footage circulating online that appears to show pro-Russian forces castrating and executing a captive Ukrainian fighter is horrific, but not horrific to pro-Russian supporters.
In the roughly one and half-minute-long video, a man dressed in military fatigues, wearing a “Z” patch and an orange-and-black ribbon associated with Russian forces, castrates the bound Ukrainian prisoner using a green utility knife.
A separate video shared on pro-Russian Telegram channels shows a single shot being fired into the prisoner’s head.
While the horrifc video goes viral, some pro-Russian supporters said the presence of the “Z” symbol, which has become an emblem of support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, on a car in the background in one video“ … that the video may be old and just now emerging after a year or two.”
Aric Toler, director of research and training at the investigative collective Bellingcat was reported to have said that.
Even now, there has been no official comment from Moscow on the allegations.
