This is the shocking moment a Russian tank shoots a lone Ukrainian civilian with its gun as the reportedly elderly man walks down a street in the besieged and devastated city of Mariupol.

Ukrainian forces that shared the footage called the incident a “murder” and called on the images to be passed on to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, which is set to rule today (Wednesday, 16th March) on Ukraine’s genocide claims against Russia.

The footage was reportedly shot in the city of Mariupol, which is located on the north coast of the Sea of Azov, in the contested Donetsk Oblast region, in eastern Ukraine, and it was obtained by Newsflash last night (Tuesday, 15th March) after it was released by Ukraine’s notorious Azov Regiment.

The footage shows a Russian tank positioned among what appear to be the remains of a destroyed civilian building. Across the street, the civilian can be seen calmly walking by without making any attempt to hide or show any aggression.

The Russian tank then suddenly opens fire on the civilian, reportedly a man, allegedly killing him instantly as the shell hits the building right behind him, in an explosion of flame and smoke.

The Azov Regiment said in Ukrainian: “Cruel footage of the murder of a resident of Mariupol by Russian tankers.

“The elderly man drew attention to himself so that he would not be shot, and Putin’s villain shot at a defenceless civilian man.

“This is what the ‘Russian world’ looks like.

“This evidence must go to the Hague tribunal.”

The city of Mariupol has been devastated by the Russian onslaught over the last two weeks, with reports of trapped civilians suffering from ill-health and hunger. Last week, Russian missiles hit the maternity ward, with the horrific images making headlines around the world.

The ICJ is set to rule today on Ukraine’s genocide claims against Russia. Ukraine filed a complaint with the ICJ on Sunday, 27th February, accusing Russia of committing genocide against its people.

The ICJ said on Twitter on Monday, 14th March, that it would “deliver its Order in the case concerning Allegations of Genocide under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (#Ukraine v. #Russia) this Wednesday, 16 March, at 4 p.m. (The Hague)”.

The Azov Regiment, also known as the Azov Battalion, is a notorious group of soldiers who were officially incorporated into the National Guard of Ukraine in 2014 after recapturing Mariupol from pro-Russian separatists in June that year.

The Azov Regiment began as a far-right, neo-Nazi group that started out as an urban militia and a political party that has since expanded and, through service to Ukraine, has been incorporated into the Armed Forces.

Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to have capitalised on the presence of this group in eastern Ukraine to announce his so-called “special military operation” to “de-Nazify Ukraine”, painting the whole country with the same brush as this regiment.

But on a national level, the political branch of the Azov Regiment failed to win any seats in the Ukrainian parliament.

The Azov Regiment is believed to number approximately 1,000 soldiers.

It is unclear to what division of the Russian Armed Forces the tank seen in the footage belongs.