Why are Russian soldiers videoing their war crimes?

One of the strange aspects of the conflict is that Russian troops not just commit war crimes but film themselves doing so. Another one was released today: a captured soldier surrounded by his soon-to-be executioners. He is standing over a hole he appears to have dug himself. He looks at his Russian captors with contempt, smoking a cigarette and then says ‘Glory to Ukraine’. He is then shot dead. Where and when the video was shot is not yet known.

This is not the first time Russians have publicly committed war crimes. In July last year, Russian Telegram channels shared a video where two Russian soldiers castrate a Ukrainian prisoner of war with a clerical knife. The distribution of such videos not only traumatises Ukrainians but also violates the rights of the tortured and murdered men, who will eventually be identified by their families and friends.