THE SQUIZ
A gruesome video showing what looks to be the beheading of a Ukrainian soldier by a Russian fighter has drawn outrage from President Volodymyr Zelensky overnight. He’s called on world leaders to respond, saying it’s “something that no one in the world can ignore”. “How easily these beasts kill… we won’t forget anything, nor will we forgive murderers,” he said in a video posted to social media. A Russian official called the footage “horrible” but said it needed to be verified. And media outlets are also saying that they have not been able to independently verify the authenticity of the footage.

WHAT’S THAT ABOUT?
We’ll go easy on the details, but the description is that it’s a grainy and extremely graphic video that appears to have been filmed on a mobile phone. It also looks like it’s a different time of year – speculation is that it was possibly filmed during the summer months. As for where it happened, again, it’s speculative, but reports name the city of Kreminna in eastern Ukraine. What can be seen is a man in military uniform wearing a yellow armband worn by Ukrainian soldiers. The perpetrator and other men visible in the clip have white bands on their legs, which Russian soldiers wear, and they can also be heard speaking Russian. There are also other identifying marks on their uniforms, body armour and weapons, and a green passport-like booklet on the ground which looks like a standard-issue Ukrainian military ID. And to put it directly, the victim with the yellow armband is beheaded by a man with a large knife who is wearing a white band around his leg.

WHAT HAPPENS NOW?
An investigation by Ukraine – officials say they are studying the video to identify those responsible and the victim. But Russian officials are at the starting line of working out if the footage is real. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that “in the world of fakes we live in, the authenticity of the footage must be checked.” It’s not the first time Russia has been accused of war crimes, and you’ll recall that the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin over some of the claims. Meanwhile, leaked US intelligence documents predict that neither Ukraine nor Russia will be able to claim a decisive win this year and that the stalemate is likely to continue in the near term.