‘Capture the commander and kill the others’: chilling radio message revealed

A radio transmission which appears to capture a Russian commander ordering troops to shoot Ukrainian soldiers as they lay on the ground in surrender has been leaked.

Ukraine intercepted a radio communication from a Russian commander allegedly ordering his troops to execute Ukrainian soldiers who had surrendered to them.

Kyiv officials shared the harrowing recording with CNN along with corresponding drone footage from the incident which is purported to have taken place in November.

The translated audio of the message reads; “Capture the commander and kill the others.”

Meanwhile the drone footage shows six Ukrainian soldiers lying face down with two shot at point bank range and a third lead away by the Russians.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin greets military commanders after the Victory Day military parade at Red Square in central Moscow earlier this month. Picture: AFP

Prosecutors in Ukraine are investigating the recording and footage to establish if a war crime has been committed.

UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions Morris Tidball-Binz told CNN said the footage was consistent with other reported incidents.

Mr Tidball-Binz described the alleged incident as a “grave breach” which would have been ordered from high up.

“(Executions) would not happen with such numbers and frequency without orders – or at the very least consent – from (the) highest military commanders, which in Russia means the Presidency,” he said.

RUBIO STOPS SHORT OF LABELLING PUTIN A WAR CRIMINAL

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday steered clear of calling Russian President Vladimir Putin a “war criminal,” saying the priority was negotiations to end the Ukraine conflict.

In a fiery congressional hearing, Democratic Representative Bill Keating recalled Rubio’s heated criticism of Putin’s record when the top US diplomat served as a senator, and asked him if he still believed Putin is a “war criminal.” “Crimes have been committed in the war on Ukraine, and there will be accountability for that, but our goal right now is to end that war,” Rubio said.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a hearing of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs on Capitol Hill. Picture: AP Photo

“Because let me tell you, every single day that that war goes on, people are killed, more people are maimed and, frankly, more war crimes are being committed,” he said.

Keating accused Rubio of being “inconsistent” and “equivocating.” Rubio later responded to a fellow Republican by saying there was a value in speaking to Russia.

“If there had not been communications between the US and Russia in 1961,” Rubio said, “the world could have ended during the Cuban Missile Crisis.” President Donald Trump spoke Monday by telephone to Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in his latest effort, so far unsuccessful, to end the war.

TENS OF THOUSANDS OF UKRAINIANS ATTEMPT TO FLEE CONSCRIPTION

Ukrainian border guards have prevented tens of thousands of military service-age men from illegally leaving the country since the start of Russia’s invasion, a spokesman for the border guard told AFP Wednesday.

Under martial law, most Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 have been barred from leaving the country, unless they receive an official permission or qualify for an exemption.

But thousands have still attempted to flee to avoid being drafted in the Ukrainian army, which is struggling to recruit.

Newly recruited Ukrainian soldiers with the 33rd Separate Mechanized Brigade practice carrying a wounded soldier during military training. Picture: Getty Images

The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine said it detained “around 45,000 Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 since February 24, 2022”, spokesman Andriy Demchenko told AFP.

“Another 4,000 citizens were detained at checkpoints for attempting to illegally cross the border using forged documents or by falsifying other grounds that would give them the right to cross the border,” he added.

Kyiv has been trying to crack down on draft dodgers and encourage Ukrainians to return to their country to replenish the ranks of the army, which is struggling against Russian troops making gains in the east.

– with AFP