Russian state television recently broadcasted a harrowing video depicting a soldier executing a wounded comrade at close range, claiming the footage showed Ukrainian forces.
However, the revelation of the original video by Ukrainian military personnel has debunked this narrative, revealing significant details that point to the involvement of Russian troops.
The initial low-resolution video, widely circulated on Telegram channels, obscured the faces of the soldiers involved. This allowed Russian propagandists to assert that the footage featured Ukrainian soldiers. On one federal channel, the video was described as evidence of “their animalistic nature and fascist ideology.”
Ukrainian aerial reconnaissance units provided the high-resolution original video, enabling closer examination of crucial details. The footage, filmed by an FPV drone operated by the 118th Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, captured the incident’s authenticity, including the moment the drone struck one of the soldiers.
The clear video revealed a telling detail: the waistband of the wounded soldier’s underwear. The elastic band bore the brand name “BOKAI,” a common and inexpensive underwear brand widely available in Russia. This discovery provided a significant clue, as these particular underwear are not readily available in Ukraine, especially in recent years.
Investigative journalists from “Systema” analyzed the original video in high resolution and confirmed several indicators that the soldiers in the footage were indeed Russian. Notably, the absence of recognizable military insignia on the uniforms and the presence of the “BOKAI” brand underwear underscored this conclusion.
Extensive research on Ukrainian e-commerce platforms like Rozetka, Prom.ua, and Olx revealed no availability of the “BOKAI” brand. Additionally, the Chinese marketplace AliExpress does not offer this brand to Ukrainian customers. This lack of availability in Ukraine contrasts sharply with its widespread presence in Russia.
Further examination of the video highlighted the type of weapon used in the execution. The soldier wielded an AK-12, a modern Russian assault rifle introduced in 2018. This particular model is standard issue among Russian forces and has been used extensively in combat zones like Rabotino. The Ukrainian military does not typically use the AK-12, although captured units have been repurposed.
The video’s geolocation provided additional context. The footage was geolocated near the village of Rabotino in the Zaporizhzhia region, an area of intense combat. A detailed analysis of the terrain and comparison with previous videos from Russian sources confirmed the location. The FPV drone strike occurred as the soldiers were retreating toward Russian-held positions.
Ukrainian drone operators from the 118th Brigade, with call signs “Shustry” and “Tikhonya,” recounted the incident. “Shustry” described how the drone strike incapacitated one of the soldiers, prompting his comrade to finish him off. This account aligns with the visual evidence, further discrediting the Russian narrative.
This incident highlights the ongoing information warfare and the lengths to which state propaganda can distort reality. The detailed analysis of the video, including the forensic examination of minor details like the underwear brand, exposes the fabrication and underscores the complexities of verifying information in conflict zones.
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