The key facts
- A video has appeared on Telegram channels showing the bodies of Russian servicemen, four of whom, according to the war correspondents, were beheaded
- The location, date and circumstances of the incident have not been established; Kotyonok suggested the recording was made in 2026
- The war correspondents urged that the recording not be distributed and linked it to previously reported episodes of mistreatment of prisoners
Appearance of the recording
Footage of an alleged desecration of the bodies of killed Russian servicemen has appeared on Ukrainian Telegram channels. According to war correspondents Yuri Kotyonok and Alexander Kots, the recording shows the bodies of fighters in Russian military uniform, four of whom are beheaded. The journalists refused to distribute the video itself.
Unknown circumstances
Kotyonok said the recording dates to 2026 and suggested the injuries may have been inflicted after the servicemen's deaths. The location of the filming and the circumstances of the incident have not yet been established. Kots noted that the bodies lie along a rural road and that white armbands are visible on the uniform sleeves, but stressed that it is unknown when the injuries were inflicted on the dead: 'I don't know whether their heads were cut off while they were alive or already dead.'
Reaction of the war correspondents
Kotyonok wrote: 'Inhumans. It will be avenged. No statute of limitations' — and urged other information channels not to publish such footage. Kots recalled previously reported episodes of alleged crimes against Russian prisoners of war in the first months of the SVO, including the events in Mala Rohan near Kharkiv and Makeevka, as well as the death of 22 civilians in the Kursk village of Russkoye Porechnoye and the testimony of Ukrainian serviceman Yevgeny Fabrisenko, who was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Assessment of the motives for publication
In Kots's view, the distribution of the recording may be aimed at intimidating Russian servicemen, but it could also provoke a negative reaction beyond Russia. He cited the words of former aide to Zelensky's office Alexey Arestovich, who back in 2022 urged not to distribute footage of prisoners because of the possible reaction of Western partners.
Context about prisoners
Earlier, a Russian serviceman who had returned from captivity spoke about the use of Russian Armed Forces prisoners for dangerous missions under the threat of remote detonation: according to him, Ukrainian soldiers attached explosive devices to the prisoners and forced them to approach Russian positions. Similar cases, the first of which, according to his data, was recorded at the end of summer, were also described by Dmitry Kemerov, commander of an assault detachment of the 'Center' group of forces.
