Maybe there was no hope, but that’s for medical personnel to decide. Mercy killings were a Middle Ages thing, nowadays once an enemy is no longer a threat, whether by being wounded, surrendering, getting captured, or in any other way, then it becomes a war crime to kill them.
This kind of videos play straight into Russian propaganda.
I’m not telling you what I think, I’m telling you what they regularly do. No medical personnel are anywhere near this event.
There must be a grey area because I’ve seen video from many conflicts where mortally wounded enemy combatants are dispatched. I’m aware of the technical law.
Regarding what I do actually think, I think it’s morally “better” to dispatch the mortally wounded as it reduces suffering.
There is a gray area: while engaging an enemy, you may not know exactly at what point have they been neutralized, so if you keep shooting and kill them… well, tough luck, should have surrendered sooner.
These videos however, which show a clearly neutralized enemy, then go for a headshot… or the ones desecrating cadavers… or joking about civilian victims… make me think that whoever published them is either quite dim, or works for the other side.
Earlier in the Ukrainian war, there were some much smarter moves, like filming POWs being given a phone to call their families. That’s both morally and strategically far better.
I firmly believe they reduced suffering in the video. There was no one around, Russia is known for not recovering their wounded, he may well have laid there for hours until succumbing to hypothermia
Maybe there was no hope, but that’s for medical personnel to decide. Mercy killings were a Middle Ages thing, nowadays once an enemy is no longer a threat, whether by being wounded, surrendering, getting captured, or in any other way, then it becomes a war crime to kill them.
This kind of videos play straight into Russian propaganda.
I’m not telling you what I think, I’m telling you what they regularly do. No medical personnel are anywhere near this event.
There must be a grey area because I’ve seen video from many conflicts where mortally wounded enemy combatants are dispatched. I’m aware of the technical law.
Regarding what I do actually think, I think it’s morally “better” to dispatch the mortally wounded as it reduces suffering.
There is a gray area: while engaging an enemy, you may not know exactly at what point have they been neutralized, so if you keep shooting and kill them… well, tough luck, should have surrendered sooner.
These videos however, which show a clearly neutralized enemy, then go for a headshot… or the ones desecrating cadavers… or joking about civilian victims… make me think that whoever published them is either quite dim, or works for the other side.
Earlier in the Ukrainian war, there were some much smarter moves, like filming POWs being given a phone to call their families. That’s both morally and strategically far better.
As mentioned, I’ve strayed into my opinion now.
I firmly believe they reduced suffering in the video. There was no one around, Russia is known for not recovering their wounded, he may well have laid there for hours until succumbing to hypothermia