Key facts
- Khartiia Corps alleges Russian troops used civilians as human shields to flee via a gas pipeline near Kupiansk on Sept. 29.
- Drone footage allegedly shows draft-age men in civilian clothes walking with civilians, including children and the elderly.
- The group was reportedly led through the Ostrogozhsk-Shebelinka Gas Pipeline near Holubivka.
- Ukrainian forces did not attack to avoid endangering the civilians.
- Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called for an investigation into alleged grave violations of international humanitarian law.
Khartiia Corps, a unit within Ukraine's National Guard, claimed on September 29 that Russian troops used civilians, including children and the elderly, as human shields to escape through a gas pipeline in Kharkiv Oblast amid Ukrainian advances in the Kupiansk sector. The unit released drone footage allegedly depicting draft-age men in civilian attire accompanying civilians, some on crutches, through the Ostrogozhsk-Shebelinka Gas Pipeline near the village of Holubivka. According to Khartiia Corps, the group was intended to travel over 10 kilometers through the pipeline before reaching a forest and being transported to Russian-occupied territory. Ukrainian forces reportedly refrained from attacking the group to prevent civilian casualties. The Kyiv Independent stated it could not independently verify these claims. Khartiia Corps stated that Russian forces were filming the group during its passage. A senior officer at the Corps' headquarters suggested the tactic involved using civilians for cover in open areas, abducting vulnerable individuals, and potentially for propaganda. The officer also noted that while this specific tactic did not alter the broader defense picture, the use of pipelines for logistics and movement was significant, citing similar uses in Avdiivka and Sumy. Using civilians as cover in combat zones and forcibly transferring them are serious violations of international humanitarian law. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha reacted to the video on September 28, calling for documentation and investigation of these alleged "grave violations of international humanitarian law" and for accountability.