Ukraine's most wanted war criminal is being hunted after a Russian soldier castrated a prisoner in sickening footage posted online.
Vitaly Aroshanov, 39, is alleged to be the fighter who committed the vile crime who serves with the pro-Vladimir Putin Luhansk armed group Bryanka-SSSR (Bryanka-USSR).
A Russian soldier is seen in a video using a box-cutting knife to remove a captive’s genitals and hold them up to the camera.
Ukrainian sources including Mirotvorets allege the castrator is from Kalmykia, a Russian region on the Caspian Sea.
Seen wearing a trademark cowboy hat in the video, Aroshanov worked as a repairman in regional capital Elite.
The Mirror has chosen not to show the disturbing footage.
Aroshanov was recognised on a video filmed by RIA Novosti showing how Luhansk forces and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov's fighters at the ruins of Azot factory in Severodonetsk.
His social media is now deleted.
He is believed to have a criminal record in Russia related to overdue loans, say reports.
Ukrainian MP Inna Sovsun who tweeted the sickening footage said the war crime must be punished.
"Russia has to pay for it," she said.
"Give Ukraine the weapons we need to stop this nightmare once and for all. The world can't pretend like this isn't happening."
According to Russian state media featuring him, he is from the "Akhmat" unit, named after Chechen warlord Kadyrov's father.
Others have said they are sure the video is genuine and there is no evidence that the video has been manipulated.
One of the testicles appears to be placed in a black hat.
Some Russian near-military communities have been saying the video came "just on time" for Ukraine to ask for more weapons in the West.
To which Ukrainian journalist Illia Ponomarenko said: "That is just your own insane bloodlust and barbarity digging your own grave, one shovel at a time."
The video is another piece of grave evidence of war crimes being committed by Russian forces in Ukraine.
Prosecutors are doing all they can to hold Russia legally accountable for atrocities and Ukrainian prosecutors have registered over 20,100 potential war crimes.
Vadim Shishimarin, a 21-year-old captured Russian soldier who pleaded guilty to killing a civilian and was sentenced in May by a Ukrainian court to life in prison, is one of 10 people to face war crimes trials so far in Ukraine
A total of 10 people have faced war crimes trials so far in Ukraine, including Shishimarin, a 21-year-old Russian soldier who pleaded guilty to killing a civilian.
The other cases involve indiscriminate shelling, wilful killing, sexual violence, robbery, ill-treatment of civilians and attacks on civilian objects.
