Russian soldiers who were detained in Ukraine were shown a DVD that detailed some of the crimes committed by their side during the invasion.
The shaven-headed prisoners of war can be seen engrossed as the movie plays out in front of them on a little screen in a video that was made public by Ukraine’s Human Rights Ombudsman.
The 29-minute documentary, dubbed “Absolute Evil,” includes scenes that show people murdering bystanders, killing children and adults, and shelling homes.
The film’s captions state the footage was taken by the Russians themselves, and later uploaded to social media.
Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said: ‘The Russian military were shown the documentary film Absolute Evil about their own war crimes committed in Ukraine.
‘What is in the heads of these persons, it is not known – what is in the eyes, see for yourself.
‘I hope that after watching it, they realise who is the absolute evil in this world.’
Several of the prisoners are shown leaning forward in their seats and watching intently, with grim expressions on their faces.
The documentary opens with the killing of prisoner of war Oleksandr Matsievskyi, who smoked a cigarette and said ‘Slava Ukraini’ – glory to Ukraine – ahead of his execution in December last year.
A video showing his death was spread widely in March, and his defiance led President Volodymyr Zelensky to posthumously award him the country’s highest honour: the Hero of Ukraine.
Other moments in the film highlight the case of Liza Dmitrieva, a four-year-old girl who died in a Russian strike last July that also badly wounded her mother Irina.
Directed by Kharkiv-born journalist Andriy Tsaplienko, Absolute Evil takes its name from a comment attributed to a priest at the burial of one victim.
He is quoted as saying: ‘Absolute evil shall be defeated.’
The commentary tells viewers: ‘Mass killings of Ukrainians is Russia’s military strategy.
‘A managed process that involves those who pull the triggers and those who [give] the orders.
‘This film shows just a few of Russia’s war crimes.
‘But even so it helps one comprehend the scale of the absolute evil Ukraine is confronted with.’