Terrifying moment ‘Russian deserters are shot dead in cold blood’ by Putin’s troops in sick Stalin-style executions

CHILLING footage appears to show Russian troops being shot dead in cold blood by their fellow soldiers as they attempted to flee the battlefield. The sick video, captured by a Ukrainian drone and shared on Telegram, appears to show three Russians firing shots at their comrades. TelegramThe clip shows Russian soldiers firing at their comrades who appear to be retreating[/caption] TelegramTwo soldiers can be seen dropping to the ground[/caption] The horrifying execution echoes back to those of former Soviet leader Stalin, who used a similar tactic with “barrier troops” called No one is turning back during World War Two. The 14-second drone video appears to show three Russian soldiers turning against about seven troops who are seemingly retreating. The fleeing troops appear exhausted with some being seen dropping their helmets to the ground. Suddenly the three soldiers fire warning shots in the air before turning their weapons to the fleeing troops. The soldiers fall to the ground –however, it is not clear whether they were killed, injured, or told to lie on the ground. The Telegram channel did not disclose any more information rather than a “barrier unit'” had shot Russian military personnel. Ukrainian news agency UNIAN has confirmed the authenticity of the video adding that “barrier troops”, have been deployed in Ukraine for months, the Kyiv Post reported. Barrier troops are tasked to prevent soldiers from running away from battle, even using lethal force if necessary. In November last year, the British Ministry of Defense reported that Russia had “probably started deploying ‘barrier troops’ or ‘blocking units.'” It said in a statement at the time: “These units threaten to shoot their own retreating soldiers in order to compel offensives and have been used in previous conflicts by Russian forces. “The tactic of shooting deserters likely attests to the low quality, low morale, and indiscipline of Russian forces.” Earlier this year soldiers from the twisted Wagner Group shared sick footage appearing to show an execution of one of their own. The disturbing video seemed to show a man being pummelled with a sledgehammer after he was accused of treason. Vladimir Putin’s warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin has previously threatened to kill “traitors” who leave the front line. Meanwhile, Kyiv has claimed to have re-captured a series of villages in its eastern Donetsk region during their counter-offensive. Putin described today Ukraine’s losses as “catastrophic” while Kyiv insisted “Ukraine’s push, bolstered with Western weapons and training, had “certain gains, implementing our plans, moving forward”. Volodymyr Zelensky’s hometown Kryvyi Rih was targeted by Russian missiles overnight. The strike left at least 11 people dead with several believed to be trapped under the rubble. Ukraine’s President  Zelensky – who was born in Kryvyi Rih – condemned the attack on his hometown. He said: “More terrorist missiles, Russian killers continue their war against residential buildings, ordinary cities and people.  “Terrorists will never be forgiven, and they will be held accountable for every missile they launch.” The attack in Kryvyi Rih left at least 11 dead The missile hit sparked a blaze at an apartment block