Ukrainian officials allege Russian saboteurs forced civilians into gas pipe as human shields

Ukraine's Hartia Corps, part of the National Guard, together with Foreign Minister Andrii Sibiga, announced that Russian sabotage operatives abducted nine Ukrainian civilians and forced them to travel through a gas pipeline to act as human shields for Russian troops withdrawing after a sabotage operation on the front near Kupiansk. The pipeline, about 10 kilometres long, required the civilians to move in darkness. Drone video released by the Hartia Corps shows the group, which includes an elderly individual, a child waving a white flag, and a person using crutches, being escorted by uniformed men, one of whom films the passage with a mobile phone.

Ukrainian authorities describe each action in the footage as a war crime and say they refrained from firing on the saboteurs to avoid harming the civilians. The foreign minister highlighted the incident on X, urging that the violations be documented and investigated so responsible parties can be held accountable. The incident underscores concerns about the use of civilians as protective shields in the ongoing conflict.