New York Times Confirms Video Showing 10 Russian POWs were Killed At Close Range

New York Times: Videos Suggest Captive Russian Soldiers Were Killed at Close Range 

A series of videos that surfaced on social media last week has ignited a debate over whether Ukrainian forces committed war crimes or acted in self-defense as they tried to capture a group of Russian soldiers who were then killed. 

The videos show the grisly before-and-after scenes of the encounter earlier this month, in which at least 11 Russians, most of whom are seen lying on the ground, appear to have been shot dead at close range after one of their fellow fighters suddenly opened fire on Ukrainian soldiers standing nearby. 

The videos, whose authenticity has been verified by The New York Times, offer a rare look into one gruesome moment among many in the war, but do not show how or why the Russian soldiers were killed. Ultimately, they leave a mystery that has been used by both sides in the online battle for hearts and minds.

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WNU Editor: It was not hard to verify this video. This video has been circulating on Ukrainian news and social media sites to promote and publicize their "heroic" retaking of territory lost to Russia early in the war. 

And as to allegations of war crimes. The Ukraine government explanation for this video is that the last prisoner opened fire, resulting in all 11 being killed. The problem with that explanation is that the video is cut-off when the shooting starts, but when it is turned back on, most of the soldiers on the ground clearly appear to be shot in the head. 

And this video is not the only one. 

I check Ukrainian news and government affiliated social sites everyday. And this video is one of many that Ukrainian news and social media sites are promoting. This morning I saw a photo-gallery of 39 Russian activists severely beaten and tied up by a Ukrainian militia unit in Kherson who they say collaborated with Russian forces. Collaborating with Russia is a treasonable crime in Ukraine right now, and the punishment is death. It is not going to be hard to figure out what is going to happen to these 39 men, and this photo-gallery made it very explicit on what that end will be. 

I am personally not surprised that the Ukraine government has green-lighted posting this stuff. It is after-all an effective tool to warn all those on the consequences if they support Russia. And I am not surprised about the lack of Western media coverage of these documented war crimes .... it contradicts their narrative on what is going on.

That is why I am surprised that the New York Times, of all publications, made the decision to report on it now.

So the big question is .... why the US media coverage now? Why is the New York Times putting this story on its front page? 

Is this a sign that the US Government now wants to distance itself away from this conflict? To lay the groundwork to make it easier to abandon Ukraine in the future?

I said at the beginning of the war that this war is only going to end when the West makes the decision to force Zelensky to sue for peace, and to accept Moscow's demands. 

I know one New York Times report on a war crime in Ukraine is not a trend. But if more reports come out saying the same thing in the coming weeks and months. That is a trend, and a signal that while publicly there are calls to support Ukraine until the end, in private a different direction is being pushed. 

The Afghan government learned that bitter truth last year. The Ukraine government may learn that lesson in 2023 or 2024.

from War News Updates https://ift.tt/3CjecDL