Ukraine vows 'immediate investigation' over alleged video of Russian prisoners being shot in legs

WARNING: Some might find details in this story disturbing.

Ukraine is promising an "immediate investigation" over a video that allegedly shows Russian prisoners of war being shot in the legs.

CTV News has not verified the footage, which purportedly depicts Ukrainian forces standing over a group of largely bound, bloodied and hooded captured Russian soldiers. When three other men who seem to be prisoners are brought over, each apparently gets shot in the legs.

"The government is taking this very seriously, and there will be an immediate investigation,” senior Ukrainian presidential advisor Oleksiy Arestovych said in an interview posted Sunday, according to CNN. "If this turns out to be real, this is absolutely unacceptable behaviour."

If authentic, the video would depict a clear violation of the Geneva Convention, which protects prisoners of war “against acts of violence or intimidation and against insults and public curiosity.”

In a statement to CNN, Ukrainian Armed Forces chief Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi said his soldiers “strictly adhere to the norms of international humanitarian law” and suggested the video could be Russian propaganda.

“In order to discredit Ukraine's defense forces, the enemy films and distributes staged videos showing inhuman treatment by alleged 'Ukrainian soldiers' of 'Russian prisoners,’” Gen. Zaluzhnyi said. "I urge you to take into account the realities of informational and psychological warfare and trust only official sources.”

Russia has repeatedly been accused of spreading disinformation and committing war crimes in Ukraine, including targeting hospitals and civilian neighbourhoods. Despite abundant evidence, Russia has denied such allegations.

Russian authorities say they plan to investigate "ill-treatment of captured soldiers."

“Footage appeared on the Internet in which prisoners were treated with extreme cruelty by Ukrainian nationalists,” A.I. Bastrykin, who heads the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, said in a statement to CNN. “The video circulating online shows captured soldiers, being shot in both legs and not given medical assistance.”

CNN reports the video was likely taken in northeastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, which has been the scene of intense Russian bombing.

In an interview with the U.K.’s Sky News, Ukraine's Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova confirmed the country will​investigate, but said the video cannot be taken at face value.

“We need proof,” Venediktova said, according to Reuters. "If militaries from (the) Ukrainian side are guilty, we will investigate them and take them to court.”

With files from CNN and Reuters