Ukraine Warns Russian Brutality Will Be Repaid 'a Hundredfold'

Ukraine's military intelligence service warned that Russia's attacks against Ukraine, which have allegedly included war crimes, will be repaid "a hundredfold."

The Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine's Defense Ministry posted a Twitter thread to coincide with Russia's celebration of its National Flag Day on Monday, saying that Ukraine will always remember when Russian troops arrived at Ukrainian cities like Bucha and Hostomel under the Russian flag. The thread also noted "Russian bloody 'gifts' to Vinnytsia, Kharkiv, Mariupol, Mykolaiv and other cities."

"Congratulations on the holiday of your colored rag - the symbol of the country of murderers," the service wrote. "We wish you to join more than forty thousand 'glorious Russian heroes' who are already helping to fertilize Ukrainian black soil as soon as possible. We are already coming to you to repay your 'kindness and generosity' a hundredfold."

Some of the Ukrainian cities that the military intelligence service mentioned have seen some of the ugliest alleged Russian war crimes and atrocities of the war. In Bucha, which was occupied by Russian troops for several weeks in the earlier stage of the war, municipal authorities have reportedly found 458 bodies, according to the Associated Press. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the "concentrated evil" of the Russian military in the wake of its alleged actions in Bucha, but the Kremlin has denied any connection between its troops and the killings.

In Mariupol, which Russia claimed full control of in May, Ukrainian Mayor Vadym Boychenko accused the Russian military of carrying out a "genocide" against its inhabitants.

Overall, thousands of Ukrainian civilians are believed to have been killed since the start of the war. The United Nations' Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said that from when the war began on February 24 to August 21, it recorded 13,477 civilian casualties in the country, including 5,587 who were killed and 7,890 who were injured.

The office noted that the toll is likely "considerably higher" since information from some areas with intense ongoing conflict has been delayed.

It was not immediately clear what the repayment that Ukraine's intelligence service hinted at would entail.

As the directorate's tweet mentioned, Ukraine has estimated that more than 40,000 of Russia's troops have been killed since the start of the war on February 24. This has not been confirmed by Russia, which gave its last estimate in March that 1,351 of its troops had been killed.

Newsweek reached out to the Ukrainian military intelligence service and Russia's Defense Ministry for comment.