Ukraine says Russian forces used civilians as human shields, then fired on them

Russian forces used a group of civilians as human shields near Kupiansk on Oct. 13, leading them toward a gas pipeline before opening fire on them, Ukraine's military claimed. The incident, which allegedly involved two women, a child, and several men, occurred in Ukraine's Kharkiv Oblast.

According to Ukraine's 13th Khartia Corps, the group was being led toward the Shebelinka–Ostrogozhsk gas pipeline when it came under repeated mortar and artillery fire. The corps provided alleged drone footage recorded by Ukrainian reconnaissance units, which it said showed casualties among the civilians. Based on impact patterns, the strike originated from the eastern bank of the Oskil River, where Russian forces are positioned, the Khartia Corps stated.

The Khartia Corps described the strike as a "deliberate provocation" and warned that Russian media might use footage to falsely accuse Ukraine of attacking civilians. The corps said it would hand over the materials for a war crimes investigation.

Separately, Ukraine's Joint Forces grouping reported on Oct. 13 that Russian forces had struck a column of civilians leaving Kupiansk during what it called a forced evacuation, and that the number of casualties was still being established. The Joint Forces grouping also stated that Russian troops had conducted similar operations in recent weeks, using civilians as human shields to cover soldier withdrawals.

The Kyiv Independent stated it could not independently verify the claims. The report also noted that the Russian military has regularly breached international warfare conventions throughout the full-scale war, including through indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas and the abduction of civilians from occupied territories. In a similar incident on Sept. 29, the Khartiia Corps said Russian troops used civilians, including children and the elderly, as human shields to flee via a gas pipeline in northeastern Kharkiv Oblast amid the Ukrainian push in the Kupiansk sector.