The European Commission emphasised that the video of the execution of a Ukrainian prisoner of war, if it is to be proved real, once again shows the Russian Federation's contempt for international law, and that those involved in it should not go unpunished.

Nabila Massrali, the spokeswoman of the European Commission, noted in response to a journalist’s question that the EU does not yet know whether the video that began to spread on Russian Telegram channels is true.

"If its truth is confirmed, it will be another confirmation of the inhuman nature of Russian aggression. The killing of prisoners of war is a serious violation of the Geneva Convention, and it demonstrates once again that Russia completely ignores international law and, in particular, international humanitarian law," she emphasised.

Nabila Massrali noted that Russia must comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law and guarantee the humane treatment of prisoners of war.

"The EU emphasises its readiness to bring to justice all perpetrators and accomplices of war crimes committed in the context of Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine," she added.

Earlier, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba said that the new video with the brutal execution of a Ukrainian prisoner emphasises the need to exclude Russia from the UN Security Council and the organisation in general.

Urmas Reinsalu, the Foreign Minister of Estonia, stated that after such occurrences, it is impossible to talk about any dialogue with Russia or the presence of Russian athletes at the Olympic Games.

The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine urged citizens not to distribute the video of the killing of the Ukrainian defender and to refrain from making assumptions about the identity of the deceased. The Security Service of Ukraine started a pre-trial investigation; the Head of the Security Service promised to find the killers.