THIS is the horrifying moment an elderly man is blasted to death by a Russian tank on the streets of war-torn Mariupol.
Ukrainian forces, which released the footage, called the incident a “murder” and has referred it to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague.
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The clip was reportedly shot on Tuesday in the besieged city of Mariupol, which has seen more than 3,000 civilians killed and 80 per cent of its buildings destroyed by Russian artillery, according Vitalij Moskalenko, Ukraine‘s ambassador to Belarus.
In it, a Russian tank hidden among what appears to be the remains of a destroyed civilian building fires at a civilian across the street who is seen calmly walking by – allegedly killing him instantly as the shell hits the building right behind him, causing an explosion of flame and smoke.
The footage has been shared ministers and MPs.
“Cruel footage of the murder of a resident of Mariupol by Russian tankers,” said the Azov Regiment, which released the clip.
“The elderly man drew attention to himself so that he would not be shot, and Putin‘s villain shot at a defenceless civilian man.
“This is what the ‘Russian world’ looks like.
“This evidence must go to the Hague tribunal.”
Mariupol has been decimated by Russian artillery and bombings over the past two weeks, with reports of trapped civilians suffering from ill-health and hunger.
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Last week, Russian missiles hit the maternity ward, with the horrific images making headlines around the world.
Parents have been forced to leave their vulnerable premature babies behind at a hospital as the number if children killed by Russian bombardments reportedly rose to 103.
Hospitals in Mariupol continue to suffer relentless attacks by Russian forces – with Putin’s soldiers reportedly taking hundreds of staff and patients hostage to use as human shields.
It’s understood nearby residents were forced out of their homes and into a hospital.
Sergei Orlov said about 400 people are now being stopped from leaving the Mariupol Regional Intensive Care Hospital.
He told the BBC: “We received information that the Russian army captured our biggest hospital… and they’re using our patients and doctors like hostages.
“We can confirm this information and also the governor of Donetsk region has confirmed this information. We received information that there are 400 people there.”
Pavlo Kyrylenko, the governor of the Donetsk region, said Russian troops were pulling people from nearby buildings and forcing them inside the hospital.
The ICJ is set to rule today on Ukraine’s genocide claims against Russia.
Ukraine filed a complaint with the ICJ on Sunday accusing Russia of committing genocide against its people.
The Azov Regiment began as a far-right, neo-Nazi group that started out as an urban militia and a political party that has since expanded and, through service to Ukraine, has been incorporated into the Armed Forces.
Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to have capitalised on the presence of this group in eastern Ukraine to announce his so-called “special military operation” to “de-Nazify Ukraine”, painting the whole country with the same brush as this regiment.
The Azov Regiment is believed to number approximately 1,000 soldiers.
It comes as drone footages appeared to show the shocking moment Russian soldiers shot dead a civilian who was surrendering himself.
The distressing clip shows the man getting out of his car with his hands up before dropping to the ground almost immediately.
The video was obtained by German broadcaster ZDF.
The outlet reports that the incident appears to have taken place on the afternoon of March 7, on the E40 expressway outside Kyiv.
