Russian forces use group of civilians as 'human shields' near Kupiansk, fire at them afterwards, Ukraine's military says

On October 13, Ukrainian military sources reported that Russian forces had deployed civilians as human shields near Kupiansk, a city in Ukraine's Kharkiv Oblast. The group, comprising two women, a child, and several men, was led towards a gas pipeline. During their movement, they came under sustained mortar and artillery fire. Drone footage captured by Ukrainian reconnaissance units revealed casualties among the civilians, according to the 13th Khartia Corps.

The impact patterns suggested that the attack originated from the eastern bank of the Oskil River, where Russian forces were stationed. Khartia Corps labeled this action as a "deliberate provocation" and expressed concern that Russian media might exploit the footage to falsely accuse Ukraine of attacking civilians, prompting a war crimes investigation.

The military group emphasized that the use of civilians as human shields by Russian forces is a tactic employed to manipulate public perception and incite disinformation campaigns.