Among the many disturbing videos from the war in Ukraine circulating on social media is one allegedly depicting war crimes committed by Ukrainian soldiers.
They show blurry images of uniformed men wearing Ukrainian troops' blue armbands interrogating captured Russian soldiers and eventually shooting them in the legs at point-blank range.
The Ukrainian army leadership has described the video as a Russian staging intended to discredit Ukrainian armed forces.
This is an understandable reaction, given the many bogus horror stories of atrocities allegedly committed by Ukrainians that have been fomented by Moscow since the war in Donbass began in 2014.
In war people become brutal
In fact, Russian propaganda was instrumental in spreading the video.
Without her help, it might not have been noticed in the flood of pictures from the Ukraine.
Nevertheless, one cannot rule out that the video is real.
In war people inevitably become brutalized.
And the Ukrainian soldiers are defending their country against a violent invader who has wantonly destroyed their previous lives and is targeting mass killings of civilians - their neighbors, relatives, friends.
The Ukrainians' defense against this terror can only be successful if they manage to disable as many Russian soldiers as possible - i.e. kill, wound or capture them.
They constantly experience how comrades are wounded and killed.
Given the severity of the fighting, it would be a miracle if there were no cases of mistreatment of Russian prisoners of war.
The consequences of the violence remain
That's why it's important that the political leadership in Kyiv reacted differently to the pictures than the military: They take them very seriously, will investigate the case and make it clear to their own armed forces that war crimes will be punished.
It's not just about humanity towards Russian prisoners, but also about future Ukrainian society.
After this war, she will have to struggle with the consequences of the extreme violence that Russia has inflicted on Ukraine - with trauma, aggression, hatred.
It is an encouraging sign that the Ukrainian government, in the middle of a defensive battle, is reaffirming the human rights of captured attackers.
It is legitimate that one reason for this reaction was its effect in information warfare.
Because the basic facts of this war must not be lost sight of in the face of such episodes: Russia attacked, Ukraine is defending itself.
The Russian military commits large numbers of war crimes against Ukrainian civilians every day.
It bombs hospitals, residential buildings and shelters, shoots at refugees and humanitarian aid convoys, kidnaps and abuses Ukrainian mayors, activists and journalists.
And all of this is justified with cynical lies by the Russian leadership and its propagandists.
The Moscow regime is also to blame if individual Russian soldiers are actually being tortured by Ukrainians: