The National Guard of Ukraine’s Paper Corps and the country’s foreign minister, Andrii Sibiga, stated on Monday that Russian military troops kidnapped nine Ukrainian civilians on September 27 to use them as human shields during their withdrawal to the occupied territory, following a sabotage operation on the Kupiansk front.
According to statements from the Hartia Corps on social networks, where a drone-filmed video recording showing sequences of the withdrawal was also posted, alleged members of the Russian sabotage group dressed in civilian clothes forced the kidnapped Ukrainians to accompany them from Kupiansk to the entrance of the gas pipeline in the area, which they use to reach that city without being detected or eliminated by Ukrainian drones, reports Agerpres.
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In this video recording, civilians can be seen entering a hole leading to the gas pipeline, while at least two people in military uniform are giving them instructions.
One of them appears to be filming with a mobile phone. Ukrainian soldiers suspect that the Russians might present this action as a humanitarian evacuation of civilians. The kidnapped Ukrainians were forced to pass through the pipeline in the occupied area.
The gas pipeline is approximately 10 kilometers long and must be traversed in the dark, according to the Hartia Corps.
Mixed with the alleged plainclothes soldiers, among the sequestered Ukrainians were elderly people, a child carrying a white flag and a person on crutches.
“Each action in this video represents a war crime”, states the message published by the Ukrainian Hartia Corps, which says it did not open fire on the Russian sabotage group, even though it detected them with drones, in order not to harm civilians.
The Ukrainian Foreign Minister has shared on X the video and the report of the Hartia Corps.
“These acts constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law and must be properly documented and investigated so that those responsible can be held accountable for them”, emphasizes Sibiga.