Video Shows Ukraine Fighter Barely Avoid Live Fire

A video shared by the Ukrainian military on Wednesday shows a soldier just barely missed by a bullet shot by Russian forces.

The 14-second clip posted to the defense ministry of Ukraine's Twitter account shows a Ukrainian soldier fire out a window of a war-torn building. Part of the video is slowed down to show that counter-fire hit the wall behind him, just a few inches above his head.

Newsweek was unable to independently verify the video and it is unclear where it originated along the front lines. The ministry credited the video to its 35th Marine Brigade.

"Divine intervention," it commented with the post.

Newsweek has contacted Ukraine's defense ministry via email for comment.

The video was shared the same day that Kyiv is grappling with reports of Ukrainian soldiers who have been beheaded by Wagner Group mercenaries. Wagner forces, founded by Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, have fought alongside Moscow's troops for much of the war on Ukraine, playing a leading role in Russia's offensive for the eastern city of Bakhmut.

Two videos have surfaced that appear to show separate incidents of Kyiv soldiers getting beheaded. In one of the videos posted on a pro-Russian social media channel this month, the bodies of two Ukrainian soldiers are shown next to a destroyed military vehicle near Bakhmut. CNN reported that someone behind the camera can be heard saying, "they came up to them and cut their heads off."

A second video was posted to Twitter on Tuesday, which appears to show a Russian fighter using a knife to cut off a Ukrainian soldier's head.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) also pointed to videos earlier this week that reportedly show Wagner forces committing similar war atrocities. In one of the posts linked to the ISW's assessment Monday, a Ukrainian serviceman's head can be seen stuck on a spike in an "unspecified area in Bakhmut."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shared a video statement early Wednesday morning on his Twitter account addressing the most recent videos, saying "the world must see" the clip of Russian troops beheading a Ukrainian soldier.

"This is a video of Russia as it is," Zelensky said. "What kind of creatures they are."

"Everyone must react," he continued. "Every leader. Don't expect it to be forgotten."