Horrific War Crimes by Russian Naval Brigade in Ukraine: Commander Orders Beheadings of Prisoners
On July 12, the Ukrainian Military Intelligence Service (UVOS) released a chilling video allegedly showing the commander of a notorious Russian 155th Naval Brigade platoon ordering the beheading of a Ukrainian prisoner of war. The recording captures the commander shouting: “Cut off his head, impale it on a stake, throw it in the trash!”
This platoon belongs to a brigade currently stationed in the Sumy region in northeastern Ukraine, already accused of numerous war crimes and atrocities since the war began.
Ukrainian forces have repeatedly carried out precise strikes on the unit’s command posts. UVOS claims the brigade commander, Colonel Sergei Ilyin, was killed in a Ukrainian attack on July 2 in the Kursk region. That day, a HIMARS strike on the brigade’s command post reportedly killed 22 people, including Major General Mikhail Gudkov, deputy commander of the Russian Navy.
Russian authorities confirmed Colonel Ilyin’s death but have not disclosed the cause or exact date.
Due to barbaric torture and brutal executions of captured Ukrainian soldiers and civilians, this brigade has become one of Vladimir Putin’s favorite units. The brigade’s flag was even raised behind Putin during his December 2022 press conference.
Members of this brigade are also linked to war crimes in Bucha, Irpin, and Hostomel during the early months of the Russian invasion. Ukrainian prosecutors have documented at least 50 cases where Russian soldiers executed Ukrainian prisoners without trial.
The United Nations warns of a rising number of such cases, claiming it indicates a systematic Russian policy of killing Ukrainian detainees. Half of the documented cases occurred just this year.
This horrifying footage and information shed new light on the brutality of the conflict and remind us how ruthless and merciless the war in Ukraine is. Will the world finally respond to these monstrous crimes, or will they be ignored? Feel free to share your thoughts — or just express your shock and outrage.
