Ukraine Says Russia Is Using Kidnapped Civilians as Human Shields in Kupiansk
Ukraine's Khartia unit says Russian forces are forcing kidnapped civilians to walk in front of their columns near Kupiansk, then filming the scenes to stage them as rescues.
Ukrainian drones filmed a Russian military column on 27 September near Kupiansk, a city in eastern Ukraine. Ukraine's Khartia unit says Russia is using kidnapped civilians as human shields, forcing them to walk ahead of the column to protect it from attack [253077]. The unit also warned that Russia could present the footage as an "evacuation" or "rescue" of civilians [253077].
The pipeline into Kupiansk, once a Russian supply route, is now an escape route, Ukraine says [253077].
The claim comes as Kyiv says Russian intelligence is running fake Ukrainian government pages online. Ukraine's security service says the pages spread false information and collect data on Ukrainians who subscribe [253071]. Thousands of identical posts claiming Russia is not the West's enemy are also spreading on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, in large coordinated bursts [251701]. Researchers who track online disinformation say identical wording across thousands of accounts is a common sign of automated or coordinated activity [251701]. The posts arrive as several European countries warn of an increased Russian threat, a warning Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed [251701].
Separately, documents show a Moscow company is helping Russia evade Western sanctions through a growing network of shell companies, which are businesses that exist on paper but often have no real operations. The firm moves money and goods across borders, making it harder for Western governments to track and block them [251862]. The sanctions were imposed after Russia's invasion of Ukraine to limit Russia's access to money and technology [251862].