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Video Captures Russian Troops Executing 70-Year-Old Man in Bucha—New Evidence of War Crime
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Newly released surveillance footage has confirmed the execution of 70-year-old Volodymyr Rubailo by Russian soldiers in Bucha, Kyiv region, on March 4, 2022.
The footage, published by Radio Liberty on August 6, shows Rubailo being shot and wounded near the entrance of a supermarket. As he staggered from the injury, a Russian soldier delivered a fatal shot to the head. His body remained on the pavement while Russian troops looted the store, smashing the entrance and loading stolen goods into baskets, bags, and armored vehicles. Some soldiers were seen pushing carts of looted items through the streets to recently seized civilian homes.
Investigators have identified paratroopers from Russia’s 234th Air Assault Regiment, based in Pskov, as likely being involved in the killing. The unit allegedly responsible was led by Sergeant Vladimir Borzunov, whose team was positioned at the suspected firing point, according to Ukrainian ballistics experts. In a phone call with Radio Liberty, Borzunov admitted Russian forces killed Rubailo but denied direct involvement by himself or his unit.
Rubailo, a longtime resident of Bucha, was born in 1951. He served in an honor guard unit of the Soviet Army in East Germany and worked for many years as a driver in Irpin’s forestry sector, Radion Liberty reported. He was murdered by Russian troops on Yablunska Street during the occupation.
According to the Bucha City Council’s archival department, 554 civilians were killed during Russia’s occupation of the area. Forty-three bodies remain unidentified, 38 people are missing, and at least 33 men are still in captivity. One civilian died in Russian custody.
Despite overwhelming evidence, Russia continues to deny responsibility for war crimes in Bucha. The Russian Ministry of Defense has claimed that no civilians were harmed during the occupation, and President Vladimir Putin has dismissed the documented mass killings as a “fake” and a “provocation.”
Earlier, it was reported that a Russian soldier shot and killed a civilian who was attempting to evacuate from the village of Udachne in Donetsk region.
The incident took place in Pokrovskyi district. According to prosecutors, video footage published on a Telegram channel shows the unarmed man walking along the roadside with a suitcase when he was fatally shot by a Russian soldier firing from a ruined building.
