Ukrainian intelligence spokesperson Andriy Yusov said Russian residents were being put in harm's way by the 'terrorist regime.'
Russian authorities are using their own citizens as a 'human shield' while resisting calls by pro-Ukraine forces to evacuate the Belgorod and Kursk border regions, according to Ukrainian military intelligence.
Three units of Russian defectors who have switched their allegiances to fight for Ukraine urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to order an evacuation for the cities of Belgorod and Kursk earlier this week as they prepared to shell the positions of Putin's troops in the area.'We are forced to inflict a strike on the military positions,' the groups said in a joint statement on Wednesday. 'To avoid civilian casualties, we urge everyone to leave the cities immediately. We urge the local authorities to save people's lives and start evacuating the cities of Kursk and Belgorod.'Andriy Yusov, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Defense Intelligence, said during a Ukrainian television appearance on Thursday that Russian authorities had ignored the warning and had opted to instead put the residents in harm's way to protect Putin's 'terrorist regime.''The authorities are once again trying to use civilians, their own fellow citizens, as a human shield in order to protect the Russian terrorist regime,' Yusov said before claiming that residents were being blocked from using major transportation hubs that would allow them to leave the cities, according to Ukrainska Pravda.Newsweek reached out for comment to Putin's office and the Russian military via email on Thursday night.The defector groups, collectively known as the 'Siberian Battalion,' said earlier this week that they had crossed over into Russian territory and were on a mission to 'liberate' their fellow Russians 'from poverty' under Putin.Members of the battalion, which is made up mostly of ethnic minorities, told Russian-language channel Current Time TV in November that they had joined with Ukraine both due to discrimination they faced in Russia and opposition to Putin's war.In a post to Telegram on Thursday, the Siberian Battalion said that they had established a 'humanitarian corridor' that would be in place until Friday morning to allow 'civilians and Russian military personnel to freely leave the specified settlements.''We call for the urgent evacuation of residents of the following settlements in the border areas,' the battalion said. 'Save your lives and the lives of your children! We see that Putin's troops are hiding among civilians, so our task is to ensure maximum security for the local population.'A subsequent post claimed that 'panic is spreading' in the Belgorod region border town Grayvoron, while also maintaining that cars spotted leaving the area indicated 'residents of Grayvoron heeded the call of the Russian armed opposition.'Prior to the battalion's claims this week, there were multiple indications that Russia is willing to use Ukrainians as human shields. Shortly before Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014, Putin warned that Russian troops would 'stand behind the people' in Ukraine and dare Kyiv's troops to 'shoot their own people.'Last December, a video emerged that purportedly shows Russian troops using captured Ukrainian military members as shields while fighting in close quarters in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Putin foe Alexei Navalny dies in prison, Russian authorities sayAlexei Navalny, Russia's best-known opposition figure, who recovered from poisoning he blamed on the Kremlin, has died in an Arctic prison colony, authorities say.
Read more »
Alexei Navalny, fierce foe of Putin who survived poisoning, has died, Russian authorities sayThe Federal Penitentiary Service said in a statement that Navalny, 47, felt unwell after a walk and lost consciousness.
Read more »
Russian authorities detain Los Angeles woman on suspicion of treasonA Los Angeles resident and dual national has been detained by Russian authorities on suspicion of treason, accused of raising funds to support Ukraine in its…
Read more »
Russian authorities hand over Alexei Navalny's body to his mother, spokeswoman saysNavalny spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh writes that a funeral is to come.
Read more »
Brother of nursing student murder suspect using fake green card, authorities sayFederal investigators revealed Saturday that the brother of the man arrested for killing a Georgia nursing student has been presenting a fake green card.
Read more »
In Their Own Words: Hear How CCP Propagandists Are Using TikTok to Indoctrinate America’s YouthSource of breaking news and analysis, insightful commentary and original reporting, curated and written specifically for the new generation of independent and conservative thinkers.
Read more »