Outrage and Condemnation Around the World After Video of Ukrainian Being Decapitated by “Russian Occupiers” Surfaces Online

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has condemned a video circulating online that the country’s security services said showed a Ukrainian being decapitated by “Russian occupiers.” The footage viewed by NBC News features a man repeatedly saying “it hurts” as another man wielding a small knife appears to saw into the man’s neck.

In response to the video, Zelenskyy said in a video posted to his Telegram channel, “There is something that no one the world can ignore. We are not going to forget anything. There will be legal responsibility for everything.”

The Russian government continues to deny it is waging a war in Ukraine, referring to the conflict as an “internal Ukrainian affair.” However, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder and financier of the Wagner private military company, has called for the entire Russian society to be mobilized, saying people are ready to contribute to Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine.

In an audio posted on his Telegram channel, Prigozhin said in reaction to Russia’s new electronic conscription bill, “When we travel to the regions, our recruiters see that people are ready to be mobilized and understand that there is a war going on for the very existence of Russia. It is not only the mobilized who should be mobilized, those who go to the front, but all the society should be mobilized.”

The video of the Ukrainian being decapitated has sparked outrage and condemnation from around the world. Ukraine’s security services have vowed to investigate and bring those responsible to justice. It is unclear if the Russian government will take any action against those responsible for the gruesome act.