Ukraine says Russians use detainees as ‘human shields’ in border towns

(CNN) — A Ukrainian official said Russian forces had captured dozens of civilians in the border town of Vovchansk, and a senior regional police officer accused them of using detainees as “human shields”.

Moscow has intensified its attack in northern Ukraine. Last week it launched its most surprising campaign in two years of war, crossing the northern border in new attempts to capture Kharkiv, the country’s second-most populous city.

Vovchansk in the northern Kharkiv region has come under attack as Russian forces claimed to control surrounding villages, forcing civilians to flee.

Serhiy Bolvinov, head of the Kharkiv regional police investigative department, told public broadcaster Suspilne News on Friday that Russian soldiers had placed about 40 civilians in a basement near their “command headquarters.”

People are being interrogated, and “the interrogators call themselves FSB employees,” Bolvinov said, referring to the Russian internal security agency, adding that detainees were being used as “human shields.” Is.

He said the captives were mostly elderly who “did not want to be evacuated until the end” and were captured when they finally decided to cross into Ukrainian-controlled territory.

Bolvinov said Russian soldiers killed an elderly Vovchansk resident because he refused to follow orders and tried to flee on foot.

The details come a day after Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klimenko said the Russians were detaining civilians in northern Vovchansk.

“We know about the first cases of killing of civilians by the Russian army,” Klimenko said on his Telegram channel, “in particular, one of the residents of Vovchansk tried to flee on foot, following the orders of the invaders. He refused and the Russians killed him.

Police investigators have opened a criminal case for violating the rules of war, he said, adding that evacuations were continuing in the area as of Thursday.

CNN has not been able to independently verify Bolvinov’s claims and has contacted the Russian Defense Ministry for comment. Russia has not commented on its troops using civilians as human shields or attacks on those trying to evacuate the area.

Mayor Ihor Terekhov said in a Telegram post that Russian forces carried out airstrikes on Kharkiv on Friday, killing at least three people and wounding 28.

Oleh Sinyhubov, head of the Kharkiv regional military administration, said in a Telegram message on Friday that the district was hit twice by guided aerial bombs.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week postponed all upcoming international trips as the country faces the new invasion.

In an interview with the AFP news agency broadcast on Friday, Zelensky said the Russian offensive in the Kharkiv region “is not constant, it is controlled.”

He said Ukrainian forces were controlling entry routes for Russian troops into the region, but Russian operations were continuing.

He also said there could be several waves of Russian attacks in the area, and stressed the need for Patriot missile systems to drive Russian troops out of Kharkiv.

The United States last week announced a $400 million package of air defense munitions and other weapons.