SICK Russian soldiers have allegedly executed an unarmed Ukrainian soldier with a sword marked with a chilling inscription.
Horror pictures show the blood-soaked scene as the prisoner of war’s body is seen splayed with the blade buried in his chest.
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The weapon – with an elaborate hilt echoing a zombie knife – has the message “For Kursk” scrawled across the blade.
It is referencing Ukraine’s ongoing invasion of Russia where they have managed to seize a huge swath of territory from Putin.
Vlad has been left humiliated by the land grab as Kyiv continues its valiant resistance.
The vile execution is the latest grim example of Russian barbarity, following troops being beaten to death with sledgehammers.
Ukraine today opened a formal criminal investigation into the suspected sword execution.
Prosecutor general Andriy Kostin said: “The criminal regime continues its targeted policy of destroying everything Ukrainian, demonstrating to the world its monstrous cruelty and cynically disregarding any values and norms of the civilised world.
“Our goal is to find and punish everyone involved in these crimes.
“The world must see the atrocities of the occupiers and respond decisively to every such case.
“Only through joint efforts can we punish this evil.”
The investigation is being carried out by Ukraine’s SBU security service.
Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian parliament’s commissioner for human rights, said: “The level of barbarity and bloodthirstiness is impossible to comprehend.”
He has reported the alleged evidence of war crimes to the United Nations and International Committee of the Red Cross.
The sword is seen embedded in the suspected Ukrainian fighter whose hands had been “taped”.
The body of the soldier seems to have been left as a macabre warning.
Lyubinets said: “Another war crime – the Russians executed an unarmed Ukrainian prisoner of war with a sword with his hands bandaged with tape.
“Such actions are a gross violation of the Geneva Convention relating to the treatment of prisoners of war.
“How much longer will the world watch as Russia openly demonstrates disregard for any norms and laws?”
He said: “I would like to emphasise separately that such demonstrative executions are aimed at demoralising Ukrainian society.
“However, seeing such actions, we must become even more determined in the fight against the aggressor.”
Some reports say that the appalling killing was in Russian-occupied Donetsk region in or near Novogrodivka.
The sword appears to be ceremonial or decorative.
Ukrainian Andryushchenko Time channel reported: “The Russians executed our prisoner in a particularly cynical manner.
“Judging by the amount of blood, the sword was driven into the still alive fighter.
“Tape is visible on the wrists.”
The report vowed: “Retribution will find every Russian criminal…do not forget and do not forgive. Rage. Just Rage.”
But some Russian channels openly approved of the barbarity.
Spetskurs, a Russian pro-war activist running paramilitary camps for children, declared: “Well deserved.”
Hardline Rosich, from St Petersburg, declared: “Whoever comes to us with a sword will perish by the sword.”
It is by no means unusual for such horrific killings to be a feature of the war.
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Why has the Ukrainian invasion of Russia been so successful?
By Georgie English, Foreign News Reporter
A DARING Ukrainian military push into Russia’s Kursk region has become the largest attack on the country since World War Two.
Kyiv’s forces have seized scores of villages, taken hundreds of prisoners and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of civilians.
After more than a week of fighting, Russian troops are still struggling to drive out the invaders.
Why has Russian military been caught so unprepared?
A long undefended border
Russia’s regions of Kursk, Bryansk and Belgorod share a 720-mile border with Ukraine – including a 152-mile section in the Kursk region.
And it only had symbolic protection before Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2022.
It’s been reinforced since then with checkpoints on key roads and field fortifications in places – but not enough to repel a Ukrainian assault.
The most capable Russian units are fighting in eastern Ukraine, leaving the border vulnerable to attack.
Element of surprise
Ukrainian troops participating in the incursion were reportedly only told about their mission a day before it began.
The secrecy contrasted with last year’s counteroffensive – when Ukraine openly declared its goal of cutting the land corridor to annexed Crimea.
Ukraine ended up failing as troops trudged through Russian minefields and were pummelled by artillery and drones.
But in Kursk, Ukrainian troops didn’t face any of these obstacles.
Battle-hardened units easily overwhelmed Russian border guards and small infantry units made up of inexperienced conscripts.
The Ukrainians drove deep into the region in several directions – facing little resistance and sowing chaos and panic.
Russia’s slow response
The Russian military command initially relied on warplanes and choppers to try to stop the onslaught.
At least one Russian helicopter gunship was shot down and another was damaged.
Moscow began pulling in reinforcements, managing to slow Ukraine’s advances – but failed to completely block troops.
Last month a Russian fighter was shown “brandishing the severed head of a slain Ukrainian soldier impaled on a stake”.
Also in August, a suspected Ukrainian prisoner of war was pictured with his head, arms and legs dismembered.
Videos have shown executions of unarmed and bound PoWs.
In June, the severed head of a Ukrainian defender was allegedly placed on a war-damaged armoured vehicle by Russian invaders.
And Putin’s infamous Wagner Group took pride in carrying out executions with sledgehammers.
They even sent a blood-stained weapon to the EU in a sick taunt amid ongoing Western support for Ukraine.
Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine back in February 2022 and the sick tyrant expected to steamroll the much smaller state in days.
But now more than 900 days later Putin’s forces remain bogged down.
They were driven back to the country’s east after initially heading for Kyiv.
Ukraine and Russia are locked in a brutal war of attrition – but Putin has a seemingly endless supply of manpower and weapons.
Vlad has lost more than 600,000 troops and more than 10,000 armoured vehicles – yet his war machine grinds on.
Ukraine may have seized a huge swath of Kursk – but Russia is feared to be making gains elsewhere.
Kyiv continues to call for more Western support, with the defeat of Ukraine meaning Russia would be right on Nato‘s doorstep.
And it feared Putin would seek to seize more territory from former Soviet states as he dreams of building a new Russian empire.
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