Following the release of gruesome film, Ukraine initiated an investigation to identify the Russian soldiers believed to have killed an unarmed Ukrainian prisoner of war.

The murderers will be found, the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, said late on Monday.

The Ukrainian soldier can be seen in the footage smoking a cigarette in a trench. Glory to Ukraine! he exclaims before being shot by automatic guns.

Although the soldier has been identified as one of its own by one military outfit, there are conflicting accounts of who he is.

As the prisoner of war (POW) is shot dead, one of the shooters, who is thought to be a Russian soldier, is heard yelling “death” and uttering an expletive.

The suspected murderer or murderers, who are not visible in the video, are still at large.