Ukrainian President Condemns “Beasts” Responsible for Beheading of Two Ukrainian Soldiers in Social Media Videos

Two videos have recently emerged on social media showing the beheaded corpses of two Ukrainian soldiers, prompting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to condemn the perpetrators as “beasts”. The first video, which was posted on April 8, was purportedly filmed by Russian mercenaries from the Wagner group and appears to show the beheaded corpses of two Ukrainian soldiers lying on the ground next to a destroyed military vehicle.

The videos appear to be of separate events – one of them may have been filmed very recently, while the other, from the amount of foliage seen on the ground, looks like it was filmed during the summer.

In response to the videos, Russian lawmakers on Tuesday voted to enforce an electronic draft system that would make it nearly impossible for men to avoid conscription. According to the law, men would be barred from leaving the country from the day they receive the summons and until they appear at a military recruitment office. Currently, Russian men have to be served with paper conscription notices, delivered in-person at a registered address or place of work.

The videos have sparked outrage from the Ukrainian government and have raised concerns about the ongoing conflict between the two countries. It is unclear who is responsible for the videos, but in the video, a voice can be heard, behind the camera, the sound seemingly distorted to prevent the speaker’s identification.

The videos have highlighted the escalating tensions between Ukraine and Russia and have raised questions about the role of the Russian military in the conflict. It remains to be seen how the new electronic draft system will affect the conflict and the situation on the ground.