Andriy Yusov, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Defence Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate, has told Radio Liberty that the agency has no proof that the Russians who had killed unarmed Ukrainian soldiers near Stepove were liquidated, as the head of the Avdiyivka military administration claimed earlier.
"It's hard to say which [Russians were killed]. But the situation near Avdiyivka and this particular settlement is very dynamic. And yes, there is information that there are cases of positions changing hands. However, we cannot say that these are the ones that have been eliminated. This needs to be further verified," he said.
According to Yusov, there are no details about which Russian army units could have done this. He called this information "sensitive" and added that all the details would be provided during the investigation.
Earlier, the DeepState analytical group published a video of the alleged shooting of two Ukrainian soldiers by Russians near Stepove in the vicinity of Avdiyivka.
The Russians entered the positions of the 45th Separate Rifle Battalion. While mopping up the positions, they found a dugout with Ukrainian soldiers in it. The latter were forced to surrender due to a lack of ammunition. The Russians shot them both. The Armed Forces stated that the video was being checked, noting that the Russian occupiers cynically violate the customs of warfare on a daily basis. The Prosecutor-General's Office has launched an investigation into the shooting of two Ukrainian soldiers.
Yesterday, the head of the Avdiyivka city military administration, Vitaliy Barabash, said on the news telethon that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had eliminated the Russians who had shot unarmed Ukrainian soldiers near Stepove. Later, the Defence Forces stormed the position and destroyed the Russian troops there.