Ukraine's most wanted war criminal was filmed castrating Ukrainian POW

Ukraine's most wanted war criminal filmed castrating Ukrainian POW
The Russian soldier accused of castrating a Ukrainian prisoner of war in one of the most horrific war crimes of the entire Russian invasion has been pictured.

He is believed to be a 39-year-old fighter with the pro-Vladimir Putin Luhansk armed group Bryanka-SSSR, another unit with a notorious reputation for violence and brutality. Members of the group have been pictured proudly giving Nazi salutes.
Ukrainian sources including Mirotvorets allege the castrator is from Kalmykia, a Russian region on the Caspian Sea. It is thought he worked as a repairman in the regional capital Elista and a has criminal record in Russia related to overdue loans.

Ukrainian MP Inna Sovsun, who tweeted the sickening footage, said the war crime must be punished. 'Russia has to pay for it,' she said.

'Give Ukraine the weapons we need to stop this nightmare once and for all. The world can't pretend like this isn't happening.

Online sleuths quickly worked out his identity from watching the sickening video and matching his distinctive black hat, bracelet, uniform and insignia
He was recognised in a Russian state media news report showing Luhansk forces and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov's fighters checking the ruins of the Azot factory in Severodonetsk.

The horrifying footage in question, which MailOnline is not publishing, shows a group of men wearing Russian camouflage pinning a soldier in Ukrainian fatigues down and using a box-cutting knife to remove his genitals and then hold them up to the camera.

Other videos showed Russian troops taunting him and appearing to make a telephone call to his wife. Late last night, a video emerged showing the soldier being shot in the head before his body was dragged through the streets on a rope.

It is unclear exactly when or where the footage was taken, but the perpetrators were seen in the state media report in June.

The sickening act, which was shared on Russian social media, was confirmed as genuine last night by Aric Toler of open source investigators Bellingcat, who have uncovered a number of crimes committed by the Russian state.

Toler said the footage showed no signs of editing or manipulation. He suggested it was possible to identify the attacker through the same broad-rimmed hunter's hat and bracelet, as well as the same uniform and insignia that he had worn in the Azot news report.

The outrage across Ukraine at seeing one of their defenders mutilated and executed in such a manner was widespread in a country that has endured five months of Russian troops committing war crimes on their soil.

The Kyiv satellite town of Bucha made headlines worldwide in April when withdrawing Russian troops left evidence or torture and summary executions among Ukrainian soldiers and the civilian populace.

Anecdotal evidence suggests deliberate campaigns of rape and sexual assault were also carried out by Russian troops.

Ukrainian authorities identified Russia's 64th separate motorised infantry brigade as the unit responsible for some of these atrocities.