Ukrainian soldiers that executed 10 Russian prisoners of war belong to a brigade based in the city of Lvov that works closely with NATO, Russian broadcaster RT reported on Monday, citing a former Ukrainian soldier.
The soldier used to serve in this brigade, but switched to the Russian side after his father was executed by Ukrainians, the report said. According to the former Ukrainian soldier, those deployed in the 80th brigade were taught to hate everything Russian long before the start of the special operation, RT said.
US troops, including forces with the Marine Corps, were involved in the training of the brigade, the soldier said.
The report came as the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov vowed that Russia would search for the killers, underscoring that the individuals must be found and punished for the crimes. At the time, the official highlighted the need for an international investigation on the matter.
Last week, Russia's Defense Ministry said that the Ukrainian military deliberately killed 10 captured Russian soldiers.
A video in which Ukrainian soldiers shot surrendered Russians who were laying facedown appeared on the internet on Friday.
UN Spokesperson Farhan Haq said that the United Nations was calling for a full investigation of all reported human rights violations in the context of the execution of POWs.
Earlier Monday, the footage of the incident was confirmed by the New York Times as having been filmed at a farmhouse in the Makeyevka village after the area had been recaptured by Ukrainian forces.
Although war crimes prosecution expert Iva Vukusic had informed the outlet it was difficult to determine whether a war crime had been conducted based on the video footage, human rights medical adviser Dr. Rohini Haar noted in his examination that the soldiers were "effectively prisoners of war" from the moment they surrendered. An ongoing criminal probe is being carried out by the Russian Investigative Committee.
Russia Urges Turkey to Show Restraint Amid Strikes on Syria
Moscow calls on Turkey to show restraint in light of the strikes on Syrian territory, tensions cannot be allowed to escalate, Russia's special presidential envoy for Syria Alexander Lavrentyev said.
"We will call on our Turkish colleagues to show certain restraint in order to prevent an escalation of tension, not only in the northern and northeastern regions of Syria, but throughout the entire territory," Lavrentyev said at the beginning of the 19th round of talks on the Syrian settlement in Astana.
He said work with all interested parties should be continued, and an attempt should be made to find a peaceful solution to the Kurdish issue.
Lavrentyev said Turkey had not notified Russia in advance about the air operation in Syria and Iraq; the issue would be discussed during the meeting on Syria in Astana.
"We hope to convince our Turkish partners to refrain from using excessive force on Syrian territory," the Russian special envoy said.
On Sunday, Turkey conducted an air operation against militant bases of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and its military wing, People's Defense Units (YPG), also labeled as a terrorist organization in Turkey. According to the Turkish Defense Ministry, a total of 89 targets were destroyed during the operation.
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