Putin’s Troops Hide in Schools, Use Donetsk Locals as ‘Human Shields’: Kyiv

Ukraine accused Russia on Monday of hiding soldiers in schools and using civilians as “human shields” in Donetsk, one of the regions Moscow illegitimately annexed from the country last month.

The conflict between the two countries has continued to worsen more than seven months after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his “special military operation” on Ukraine on February 24.

Last month, the Kremlin held referendums in several occupied territories to determine if they would join Russia. The referendums, which were dismissed by the West as being “sham” elections, included the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Putin annexing the territories threatened to escalate the conflict further, as he pledged to defend the region “with all the forces and means at our disposal.”

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in their daily operational update, alleged that Russian soldiers are hiding out in civilian buildings such as hospitals and schools in these recently annexed territories.

Above, a Ukrainian soldier surveys a Ukrainian school destroyed by Russian soldiers in the Donetsk region on October 8. Russian soldiers are allegedly hiding in schools and using civilians as a “human shield” in recently annexed territories such as Donetsk. YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP via Getty Images

In Donetsk, Russian soldiers are allegedly staying in schools, alongside students, to use civilians as a “human shield.”

“The enemy continues to cover himself with the population of the temporarily occupied territories, as a human shield,” the update reads. “Thus, in some educational institutions of the Yasynuvata district of the Donetsk oblast, at the same time as the educational process, servicemen of units of the Russian occupation forces continue to be accommodated.”

In Luhansk, the other oblast that makes up the Donbas region, a children’s hospital was reportedly forced to release untreated patients to free up beds for Russian troops who suffered combat injuries, according to Ukraine.

“In the children’s hospital of one of the settlements of Luhansk oblast, the Russian occupiers placed their wounded, along with sick children,” Ukraine’s military leaders wrote. “Among them are former prisoners, representatives of the private military campaign ‘Wagner.’ There are rare cases when children are not treated and discharged to free up beds.”

Monday’s report comes as Putin’s military continues to face the possibility of defeat in Ukraine. Despite its vast size, the military has struggled to recruit and maintain experienced, motivated forces and has dealt with leadership issues.

Military leaders are facing heightened criticism from lawmakers and the Russian media over their struggle to achieve major goals in the Eastern European country and allowing Kyiv’s troops to retake thousands of square miles of formerly occupied territory.

On Monday, as losses continued to pile up, Russia ordered missile strikes against several major Ukrainian cities, including the capital Kyiv. The attacks, labeled terrorist attacks by Ukraine, resulted in at least 11 deaths and provided an insight into how Russia could attack civilian infrastructure ahead of the cold winter months.

The attacks come after part of the Kerch Strait Bridge, which connects Russia to Crimea, a region they annexed in 2014, was blown up on Saturday, resulting in three deaths. Ukraine has not officially claimed responsibility, but the country’s officials have mocked Russia and celebrated the development.

Newsweek reached out to the Russian Ministry of Defense for comment.