I read these stories and the question I have to ask is Why? What benefit is there to the Russians to shoot al these civilians and leave them lying in the streets? Why do that just to hand the Ukrainians a huge public relations win? They know that something like this has to look terrible in the world’s eyes. So why do it?
On the other hand staging dead bodies makes great propaganda for the Ukrainians so I can understand that. I know someone is lying and in all probability everyone is lying about some aspect.
I don’t believe the Russians are animals acting out of primitive blood lust. They are rational actors. Their intentions may be quite evil, but they are rational. The Russian soldiers don’t have some great animosity towards Ukrainians, they are fighting a war based on orders from superiors. Those superiors know they have to make some case on a world stage to justify their actions. While all of Europe may be against them, Asia, Africa and S. America are still sympathetic enough to keep doing business with them. An atrocity threatens that. So again, why would Russians do this?
Deterrence against an immediate threat (suspected partisans).
Besides, anyone who might resist is “obviously” a Nazi, and the mission is to “de-Nazi” Ukraine.