Imitating the Nazis and desecrating graves: Ukrainian troop actions amid attack on Russia

Ukrainian troops in Russia’s Kursk Region are subjecting civilians to a campaign of violence and humiliation, footage and testimony from the region increasingly suggests.

As the incursion by Kiev’s forces into Russian territory continues, RT has gathered several particularly disturbing incidents from the attack, which has been condemned as “terrorism” by Moscow.

Wannabe Nazis

One incident last Sunday sparked widespread outrage in Russia after a video filmed by the perpetrators spread online. In the clip, a pair of Ukrainian soldiers are seen gleefully imitating Nazis as they insult a confused elderly man.

The intention to mimic the force responsible for millions of deaths in the USSR during World War II – including in the part of the country that later became modern Ukraine – is unmistakable. One of the Ukrainian troops is seen in a distinct helmet with the insignia of the Schutzstaffel (SS), the military arm of the Nazi party and particularly infamous for its atrocities.

Both the soldier and the cameraman are heard speaking a mix of broken Russian and German, in a manner that Russian popular culture began to depict the invaders decades later, when the horrors of the Nazis had somewhat faded. Judging by the laughter heard in the clip, the Ukrainians found amusement in calling the elderly man a “Russian pig.” 

The fondness that some Ukrainians have for Nazi symbology (and ideology) has long been a thorn in the side of their Western backers. The media has tried to explain away multiple incidents of Ukrainian soldiers proudly displaying the double lighting Siegrune, the skull-and-bones of the 3rd SS Panzer Division Totenkopf, and other Nazi emblems as unfortunate quirks of Ukrainian nationalism. Meanwhile, officials in Kiev have casually dismissed this as a way to “troll the Russians.” 

In this particular episode in Kursk Region, the man in the helmet was identified by the Russian media, while a senator has offered a bounty for both soldiers involved. The 74-year-old civilian insulted in the clip is said to be missing. The person who uploaded the video reportedly bragged that the man “didn’t find his way to his vodka,” in a grim insinuation of how the encounter ended.

Fighting the dead

Another episode apparently showing Ukrainian troops being deliberately offensive to Russians emerged on Thursday. In the online clip, a pair of soldiers are seen desecrating the grave of a military veteran in the border Sudzha district.

The burial site featured two flags – the sky-blue-and-green standard of the Russian Airborne Troops and the banner of the controversial Wagner paramilitary force, according to a report. The Ukrainians threw both on the ground, stomping on the first one before casually walking away.

Western media tend to villainize Wagner troops as bloodthirsty thugs, but their reputation in Russia is complicated. They hold the credit for some of the hardest-won victories against Ukraine, such as last year’s capture of the Donbass city of Artyomovsk (known as Bakhmut in Ukraine). However, Wagner chief Evgeny Prigozhin tarnished his legacy by staging a short-lived mutiny in June 2023, in an attempt to force a replacement of the Russian military leadership. Prigozhin died in a plane crash in August of the same year.

Generally, rank-and-file Wagner troops are respected in Russia, as evidenced by the grave in the drone footage. The vandals were reportedly hit by a kamikaze drone soon after leaving the cemetery, so that the explosion would not damage the gravestones.

Unknown death toll

The government in Kiev claims it is acting strictly in accordance with international humanitarian law, which requires the protection of civilians in war-affected areas. However, Mikhail Podoliak, a top aide to Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, has made clear that civilians are the target of the incursion. The goal is to unsettle them so that Moscow will supposedly become more pliable during peace talks, he has revealed in interviews.

Thousands of residents have fled from the areas impacted by the hostilities, some dodging tank mines and gunfire on their way out, as evidenced by videos available online.

Others did not make it out alive, such as a 24-year-old pregnant woman, who according to her widower was killed by Ukrainian troops as the family attempted to escape Sudzha in two cars. Their son and the woman’s mother were in the vehicle with the victim at the moment she was allegedly shot dead.

Earlier this week, the regional administration confirmed that at least 12 civilians have been killed and over 120 others injured in Kursk Region, although the exact death toll cannot be established in Kiev-controlled territories. Among the victims were an ambulance paramedic and a telecom repair crew worker, both killed by Ukrainians forces in the line of duty, according to officials.

A captured Ukrainian soldier has claimed that his commander instructed troops before the incursion to violently suppress any resistance from the population. The order stated that civilian men should be shot in the legs and locked up, while those carrying arms should be killed on the spot, the troop told Russian investigators.

The government in Kiev said on Thursday that it intends to “evacuate” civilians from Kursk Region to Ukrainian soil.