Ukraine fully investigating beheading video

Ukraine is comprehensively investigating a video allegedly showing the beheading of a Ukrainian prisoner of war by Russian fighters, according to Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin.

"At the moment, all investigative agencies of Ukraine, our entire intelligence service are working hard to accurately identify the perpetrator and the victim," Kostin said on Friday during a visit to the Lithuanian capital Vilnius.

He said he could not yet confirm the authenticity of the recording. "As soon as we can clarify this definitively, we will publish this information immediately," he said, according to the BNS news agency.

The video emerged on social networks earlier in the week showing a uniformed man being beheaded by another. The perpetrator wears a white marking on his clothing that is typical for Russian soldiers. The scenes shown caused international outrage.

The authenticity of the video and the time of recording have not yet been independently verified.

Ukrainian and international observers assume that this is further evidence of Russian war crimes in Ukraine. According to Kostin, Ukrainian law enforcement agencies are investigating some 77,000 cases of alleged Russian war crimes in the country.

"Courts have already handed down 30 verdicts," he said. In addition, he said, 20 other countries also have their own national investigations into Russian war crimes in Ukraine.