Ukrainian Soldiers Shoot Captured Russian Troops With Hands Tied Behind Their Backs In Horrifying Video

A disturbing video showing Ukrainian soldiers killing their captured Russian troops in a village near Kyiv, with their hands tied behind their backs was released Wednesday.

The video was verified by the New York Times, but the video was not released due to its graphic content. The video shows a Ukrainian soldier shooting a Russian soldier three times while another man says "he's still alive. Film these marauders. Look, he's still alive. He's gasping."

The video also shows at least three other Russian soldiers dead near the victim — identified by white armbands commonly worn by Russian troops. One of the soldiers has a visible head wound and his hands are tied behind his back, according to the report from The Times.

Ukrainian soldiers can be identified by their blue armbands and repeatedly saying “glory to Ukraine" however their specific unit is unclear. Meanwhile, according to a Ukrainian news agency, the ambush was led by the "Georgian Legion,” a group of Georgian volunteers formed in 2014 to fight for Ukraine.

"We are a European army, and we do not mock our prisoners,” senior presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych said at the time. “If this turns out to be real, this is absolutely unacceptable behavior."

The soldiers are surrounded by equipment and are laying on the road near a BMD-2 — an infantry vehicle used by Russia's airborne units, claimed by military scholar Rob Lee.

Meanwhile, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) chief Jens Stoltenberg issued a warning that the war in Ukraine could last "months, even years" as there is no sign that Russian President Vladimir Putin has lost "his ambition to control the whole country." Stoltenberg spoke ahead of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels, stating that the international community should be "realistic" about Moscow's intentions and "realise that this may last for a long time" as the war entered its 41st day.

"We need also to be prepared for the long haul, both when it comes to supporting Ukraine, sustaining sanctions and strengthening our defences," he added.

Ukrainian authorities urged civilians in the country's east to flee "now" or "risk death" as Russian forces regroup ahead of what is expected to be an offensive in the Donbas region.