Russia's war on Ukraine 'has been characterised by brutality by attacks on civilians'
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00:00 Thank you very much for being with us. The Cry of War Crimes once more over Ukraine with
00:07 the publication online of a horrific video. We can't show it to you because of its content.
00:12 It appears to show a man being decapitated with a knife by three other men, all in military
00:17 uniform. Three men who appear to be the attackers are speaking Russian. The victim is Ukrainian.
00:23 Reaction? Well, shock and condemnation. Let's listen.
00:27 There is something that no one in the world can ignore. How easily these monsters can
00:35 kill. This video, the execution of a Ukrainian captive, the world must see it. It shows Russia
00:42 as it is.
00:43 We don't have more information on the veracity of the video. Having said that, if confirmed,
00:50 this is yet another brutal reminder about the inhumane nature of the Russian aggression,
00:56 killing of prisoners of war is a very serious breach of the Geneva Convention and demonstrates
01:02 once more Russia's complete disregard of international law and particular international humanitarian
01:08 law.
01:09 Two voices expressing shock and condemnation, but there were many more today. Let's bring
01:14 in Reid Brody, veteran war crime prosecutor, member of the International Commission of
01:18 Juris Read. Thanks for being with us. Can we start by getting a reaction from you to
01:23 this story? What do you think about what we're hearing?
01:27 Well, if it is what it purports to be, this is just horrible. And unfortunately, it just
01:33 is one more in a long string of atrocities that we've been witnessing. I mean, this is
01:40 this war has been characterized by brutality, by attacks on civilians. And now we're seeing
01:46 probably the mutilation of a prisoner of war, which is which would be a clear war crime.
01:54 Vladimir Zelensky, Reid, as you heard, saying the world cannot ignore this evil. And as
02:00 you say, we're still yet to really 100 percent have the proof that what we're seeing is actually
02:06 what it is. But it seems that this looks like another step towards the complete disintegration
02:13 of any kind of humanity in this conflict.
02:16 Well, the world is not ignoring this evil. I mean, at the same time that we're seeing
02:22 this unrelenting string of atrocities, we have never in history witnessed such a massive
02:29 justice response as we're seeing now. Never in history have so many people investigated
02:37 war crimes in real time. The largest mission ever by the International Criminal Court,
02:43 the Ukrainian justice system, opening up, I think, 70,000 cases. Dozens of countries
02:50 have rushed in with forensic experts. And we've seen, in fact, that Vladimir Putin has
02:55 already been indicted by the ICC for war crimes.
02:58 So the international community is meeting this challenge. The challenge with this particular
03:05 tape, I think, is really now a challenge for the Russian authorities. I mean, they have
03:11 said that it's horrible. In a year of war, in a year of war crimes, we have never once
03:21 seen the Russian authorities punish anyone, or even as far as we know, investigate anyone
03:29 for war crimes—not for Bucha, not for the theater in Mariupol. Will they investigate
03:34 this war crime? Will they punish? And if it turns out that it is Russian soldiers mutilating
03:39 a prisoner and killing a prisoner of war, will they punish? That's really the test here.
03:46 And let's see. Let's see what happens.
03:48 What are your thoughts on that? Do you think that is possible, given the rhetoric we've
03:52 heard so far and given what we've seen on the ground?
03:55 Well, unfortunately, it seems like Russian troops have been given a license to kill.
04:01 I mean, we've seen this, unfortunately, since Grozny in Chechnya and since Syria. But also,
04:12 the pictures that we've seen of Bucha and elsewhere, we've never once heard a Russian
04:19 leader say, "No, this has to stop." And so it's as if Russian troops have been given
04:27 a license to do this kind of thing. And I think this case, which is only one of many,
04:35 but perhaps because the Russian spokesperson has already come out and said how horrible
04:39 this was, perhaps we can see for the first time Russian authorities punishing somebody
04:46 for a crime like this. I'm not that optimistic, but let's see.
04:50 I think most people share that opinion, Reid. In terms of who committed this atrocity, if
04:55 it turns out to be exactly what we are seeing, if it turns out to have been, say, for example,
05:01 Wagner mercenaries and not regular Russian troops or conscripts, does that make any difference,
05:05 do you think?
05:07 It wouldn't make any difference, certainly legally. I mean, these are war crimes. The
05:11 fact that they're not Russian uniformed soldiers would not make a difference to their penal
05:19 responsibility or to the obligation of Russian authorities to punish them. But as I said
05:29 so far, as far as we know, all of the war crimes that have been committed have been
05:34 committed with total impunity, whether by Wagner troops or by Russian soldiers.
05:39 Reid Brodie, thank you very much indeed. Always a pleasure to get your opinion on a number
05:44 of issues, and obviously this one, one of your real spheres of interest and expertise,
05:48 Russian war crime prosecutor, member of the International Commission of Jurisdiction.
05:52 Thank you very much for being with us on France 24. We appreciate your time, sir. Thank you.
05:55 You're quite welcome.
05:57 And we continue, of course, to watch and observe all developments on that particular aspect
06:02 of the Ukraine story.