Ukraine To Investigate Reports Of War Crimes Against Russian Troops

Ukraine says it will investigate unverified reports that its soldiers tortured Russian troops captured in the fighting as a result of Moscow's invasion.

"We take such cases extremely seriously.... There will be an investigation.... We do not torture POWs," Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said in a post on Telegram on March 28.

Arestovych published the post after a video circulated on social media appearing to show Ukrainian soldiers physically torturing Russian troops after their capture in Ukraine.

In the video, at least three Russian soldiers appear to have been shot in the legs after being detained, while some have white bags on their heads.

He added that "every member of the defense forces will be told that such behavior is considered absolutely unacceptable, that it is a war crime."

The incident, which Arestovych did not directly confirm as having taken place, allegedly happened in a village on the eastern outskirts of Kharkiv on March 25.

The contents of the video have not been independently verified, and some have warned it could be an attempt by Russia to discredit Ukrainian soldiers.

Ukrainian Prosecutor-General Iryna Venediktova said the video could not be taken at face value.

"We need proof," she said in an interview with Sky News. "If militaries from [the] Ukrainian side are guilty, we will investigate them and take them to court."

Since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine on February 24, both sides have accused the other of committing war crimes.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian investigators would look into the video, which he said contained "monstrous images" and needed to be legally assessed.

Valeriy Zaluzhniy, commander of the Ukrainian armed forces, said in a statement on Facebook that members of the Ukrainian armed services and other legitimate military formations "strictly adhere to the norms of international humanitarian law."

Zaluzhniy also noted that "the enemy" produces videos with the inhuman treatment of alleged Russian prisoners by Ukrainian soldiers "in order to discredit the Ukrainian Defense Forces."

He did not provide any evidence to support his accusation.