Ukraine identifies prisoner of war who declared ‘glory’ to his country moments before execution

telegraph:  The Ukrainian prisoner of war who was gunned down after declaring “Glory to Ukraine” has been identified as a member of a tank brigade.

The country’s defence ministry identified the soldier as Timofey Shadura, a 41-year-old from the 30th Mechanised Brigade, who had been missing in fighting around Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine since March 3.

The commanders of the 30th Mechanised Brigade offered their condolences to his family adding “revenge is inevitable”.

The soldier’s sister reportedly confirmed his identity after watching the footage of his shooting, saying “these are his eyes, his voice and that’s how he always smokes his cigarette.

In the video clip shared widely on social media, Mr Shadura is smoking a cigarette in a clearing in a forest while Russian guns are pointed at him.

In his last moments, he said “Slava Ukraini”, the Ukrainian war motto, before being shot to death in repeated bursts of gunfire.

Ukraine’s defence ministry said Mr Shadura’s body “is currently on the occupied territory.”

“Conclusive identification will be held once the body is retrieved and goes through the necessary procedures.”

Yevgeny Prigozhin, owner of the notorious Russian private military group Wagner denied his mercenaries, who have a heavy presence in the area, carried out the execution.

“Is there any proof that this video was filmed outside Bakhmut, any proof that this video wasn’t staged or any proof that Wagner was involved?” he said in a statement late on Tuesday.

“If so, we would definitely look into it.”

Mr Shadura, 41, was a civilian who was called up to serve in the army last December, an official at the 30th Brigade told the Telegraph. He did however have previous combat experience.

Mr Shadura hailed from Mala Derevychka, a small village in central Ukraine, where he lived with his mother.

The official spoke to the Telegraph on the condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to comment.

Neither the Russian armed forces nor militants from Wagner, the mercenary group, has claimed responsibility for the killing.

A Ukrainian journalist who spoke to six members of the killed soldier’s family after the shooting confirmed his identity.

“His sister said ‘This is 100 per cent my brother. These are his eyes, his voice and that’s how he always smokes his cigarette’,” Sofia Kochmar-Tymoshenko said, quoting the man’s sister.

In his nightly address on Monday, Volodymyr Zelensky pledged to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

“I want all of us to respond to these words together, in unity: ‘Glory to the Hero! Glory to the Heroes! Glory to Ukraine!’ And we will find the murderers,” the Ukrainian president said.

“Ukraine will not forget the feat of each and everyone whose lives gave freedom to Ukraine forever.”

Ukrainians took to social media to post sketches of Mr Shadura, looking back at his captors with a cigarette in his mouth, with the “Glory to Ukraine!” slogan.

On Monday, Dmytro Kuleba, the Ukrainian foreign minister, called on the International Criminal Court to launch an immediate investigation into the footage.

On Tuesday, Ukraine’s prosecutor general’s office said it would pursue war crimes charges in the case.