Anna Hartz
Wars around cities often create dangerous choices for soldiers trying to move civilians out of combat zones.
In Kupiansk, Ukrainian forces say Russian troops may have used civilians to help their own men leave the area.
They were filmed
Drone footage released by Ukraine’s Khartiia Corps on Sept. 29 allegedly shows children, elderly people and a person using crutches walking with men of military age, reports the Kyiv Independent. Khartiia said some of the men were likely Russian soldiers wearing civilian clothes.
According to the Ukrainian unit, the group was taken from Kupiansk through the contested village of Holubivka toward the Ostrogozhsk-Shebelinka gas pipeline. The group then entered the pipeline, which would require the civilians to travel more than 10 kilometers before reaching a forested area.
Khartiia said the people could then be taken to Russian-occupied territory. The unit also said Russian personnel filmed the group.
The Ukrainian forces said they spotted the group but did not attack because civilians were among them. Khartiia claimed Russian troops were using the civilians as cover while retreating.
The Kyiv Independent said it could not independently verify the claim. The footage and allegations come from Khartiia, which is part of Ukraine’s National Guard.
Fighting continues
Khartiia said Russian forces have previously used gas pipelines to move troops near the front. A senior officer told the Kyiv Independent that the tactic has been seen around Avdiivka, Sumy and now Kupiansk.
The use of civilians as human shields is prohibited under international humanitarian law. The rules of war also require combatants to distinguish themselves from civilians. The International Committee of the Red Cross says parties to a conflict must protect civilians and direct attacks only at military targets.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called for the reported actions to be documented and investigated. He said Russia was again using Ukrainian civilians as instruments of war.
The allegations come as fighting continues around Kupiansk in northeastern Ukraine. For the civilians shown in the footage, the journey through a gas pipeline would have placed them in a dangerous position in an active combat zone.
For now, the footage provides evidence of what Ukrainian forces say happened, but the full circumstances surrounding the group’s movement have not been independently established.
