Ukraine’s military has released footage appearing to show Russian soldiers shooting themselves dead during fighting.
In the 9-second clip, three Russian soldiers are seen beside an infantry fighting vehicle (BMP). Two lie down, while one sits in the middle.
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At the sixth second, the soldier on the left fires a shot, followed by two shots from the soldier on the right.
The video was released by Ukrainian operational command “Zahid” which claimed it is “not the first case of suicide by the occupiers.”
The command did not specify the location of the incident or the fate of the third Russian soldier.
While Kyiv Post could not independently verify the video's authenticity, Verkhovna Rada deputy Oleksiy Honcharenko reposted the Zahid command's publication on his Telegram channel.
In the comments section, commentators expressed little sympathy for the soldiers. One person wrote: “And was it necessary for them to go to Ukraine?”
Another said: “So they couldn't shoot themselves at home? It was necessary to come to Ukraine?”
Another commentator asked: “why they don't surrender,” adding: “Shouldn't the instinct of self-preservation kick in?”
Clues to the answer can be found in the testimony of Russian POWs interviewed last year by Kyiv Post.
ISW Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, July 2, 2024
One man said he was told by his commanders that it's better to use a grenade to kill himself and any enemies approaching rather than surrender and face “torture.”
At the end of the summer of 2023, Andriy Yusov, the representative of the Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) of the Ministry of Defense, stated a significant increase in suicides among Russian military personnel, especially officers, following the onset of the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war.
“The number of suicides among the Russian military, including officers, increased significantly after the full-scale invasion. Some of them may be related to fears that the Ukrainian military will catch up with them," stressed the representative of the HUR.
He assured that Ukraine is ready to accept those Russians who do not want to carry out criminal orders and surrender—from privates to generals and commanders—within the framework of the ‘I want to live’ (Я хочу жить) project.
“We guarantee the treatment (of those who surrendered, - ed.) in accordance with the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law, despite the fact that we are talking about murderers and aggressors,” Yusov said.
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