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Igor Mangushev: Russian mercenary waves SKULL of dead Ukrainian soldier during stage show tirade

A newly surfaced video shows the pro-Putin fighter going on a rant calling for the Ukrainian population to be killed

Warning: Content may be distressing, viewer discretion is advised.

MARIUPOL, UKRAINE: A horrifying video that has surfaced shows a pro-Putin war veteran waving the skull of a slain Ukrainian soldier while addressing a crowd. In the video, he can be heard threatening the country with oblivion. Campaigner Igor Mangushev, 36, held a skull in his hand as he addressed the crowd, claiming it was that of an Azov regiment fighter killed in Mariupol. 

"Why can't there be any reconciliation?" Mangushev said. "The Russian lands of Novorossiya must be returned back. We are not at war with people of blood and flesh. We are at war with an idea — Ukraine as an anti-Russian state." Holding the skull, he was quoted by Astra media as saying, "We're alive and this guy is already dead. Let him burn in hell. He wasn't lucky. We'll make a goblet out of his skull." The location and timing of the video remain unclear. 

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Mangushev openly calls for the murder of civilians on his Telegram channel, the Daily Mail reported. "We will burn your houses, kill your families, take away your children and raise them Russians," he reportedly posted. Mangushev, who is fighting against Ukraine, is also the head of the nationalist movement Light Russia and a creator of a private army ENOT, which is believed to have links to the FSB. His real name is Reimer, and he is said to have a daughter, 14. 

Performing with a human skull violates at least one article, that is 244, of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation: 'Desecration of the bodies of the dead.' In international law, it is also a war crime. 

Sharing the disturbing video on Twitter, Ukrainian journalist Denys Kazanskyy wrote, "Russian mercenary Igor Mangushev (Bereg) made a performance with the skull of a Ukrainian soldier killed near Azovstal. In his speech, Mangushev said that Russia is at war with the Ukrainian idea, so all Ukrainians must be killed. Still think trading with Russia is a good idea?" In a follow-up tweet, he shared pictures of Mangushev, writing, "This is Igor Mangushev. He's from Moscow The Russian authorities deny that the Russian army organized the massacre in Bucha. But the Russian military openly calls for massacres and takes pride in torturing and killing Ukrainians."