Video Shows Russian Military Shooting Own Retreating Troops: Ukraine Media

A Ukrainian Telegram channel published drone footage on Monday that reportedly shows three Russian soldiers opening fire on at least seven of their comrades who were retreating.

The video was posted by Ishi Svoikh, also known as "Look for Your Own," which is a project created with the backing of Ukraine's Ministry of Internal Affairs. The project was set up to share photos and documents of Russian invaders captured and killed in action in Ukraine to help their relatives find them.

The Kyiv Post said the Ukrainian news agency UNIAN confirmed the video's authenticity. UNIAN reportedly said the military members responsible for the shooting were "barrier troops," which the Post described as "units with the mission of preventing soldiers running away from battle using lethal force if necessary."

Newsweek could not confirm the authenticity of the video, which was shared on Twitter by the Russian activist group Activatica. Newsweek reached out to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs via email for comment.

The possible "barrier troops" appear to shoot their weapons in the air as a possible warning before firing directly at the retreating soldiers. It's not clear if the retreating soldiers were killed or injured by the gunfire, but readers are advised that the video below is graphic.

Jason Jay Smart, a political adviser on post-Soviet and international politics, told Newsweek that "Russians shooting their own troops has a long tradition in Russian military history, and it has been commonplace throughout this war."

Smart, who also works as a special correspondent for the Kyiv Post, said: "This incident, showing a total lack of concern or interest in preserving human life, is the epitome of how the Russian military thinks and behaves."

The presence of Russian "barrier troops" in Ukraine was previously reported by the U.K.'s Ministry of Defense (MoD) last November.

"Due to low morale and reluctance to fight, Russian forces have probably started deploying 'barrier troops' or 'blocking units,'" the MoD wrote at the time. "These units threaten to shoot their own retreating soldiers in order to compel offensives and have been used in previous conflicts by Russian forces."

The ministry's assessment said, "The tactic of shooting deserters likely attests to the low quality, low morale and indiscipline of Russian forces."

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner Group, whose mercenaries have fought in Ukraine, has publicly threatened to execute deserters. In January, the Financial Times wrote that media accounts associated with Wagner had posted several videos showing Prigozhin promising to shoot any of his mercenaries who abandoned fighting against Ukraine's forces.