The soldier used to serve in this brigade, but switched to the Russian side after his father was executed by Ukrainians, the report said. According to the former Ukrainian soldier, those deployed in the 80th brigade were taught to hate everything Russian long before the start of the special operation, RT said.
US troops, including forces with the Marine Corps, were involved in the training of the brigade, the soldier said.
The report came as the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov vowed that Russia would search for the killers, underscoring that the individuals must be found and punished for the crimes. At the time, the official highlighted the need for an international investigation on the matter.
Last week, Russia's Defense Ministry said that the Ukrainian military deliberately killed 10 captured Russian soldiers.
A video in which Ukrainian soldiers shot surrendered Russians who were laying facedown appeared on the internet on Friday. UN Spokesperson Farhan Haq said that the United Nations was calling for a full investigation of all reported human rights violations in the context of the execution of POWs.
Earlier Monday, the footage of the incident was confirmed by the New York Times as having been filmed at a farmhouse in the Makeyevka village after the area had been recaptured by Ukrainian forces.
Although war crimes prosecution expert Iva Vukusic had informed the outlet it was difficult to determine whether a war crime had been conducted based on the video footage, human rights medical adviser Dr. Rohini Haar noted in his examination that the soldiers were "effectively prisoners of war" from the moment they surrendered.
An ongoing criminal probe is being carried out by the Russian Investigative Committee.