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“Shoot on Sight”: Russian Commander Orders Fire on Civilians, HUR Says

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Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk
Cyril Barabaltchouk
News Writer
“Shoot on Sight”: Russian Commander Orders Fire on Civilians, HUR Says
A general aerial view shows the destroyed city covered in morning fog, following months of intense fighting near the front line in Pokrovsk, Ukraine. (Source: Getty Images)

Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) says it intercepted radio communications in which a Russian field commander ordered forces to fire on civilians trying to leave the combat zone near Pokrovsk, HUR reported in Telegram on October 21.

According to HUR, the order came from a commander of the 30th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade, part of Russia’s 2nd Combined Arms Army, currently operating in the Pokrovsk area in the eastern Ukraine. The intercepted message reportedly instructed troops to “watch the road, let no one pass—anyone with large civilian bags, shoot on sight.”

HUR said the recording is further evidence of systematic abuses by Russian forces, including executions, torture of prisoners and attacks on civilians. The agency warned that those responsible will be held to account and stressed that such actions amount to grave violations of the laws of war.

Previously, it was reported that a Ukrainian court sentenced a 20-year-old Russian serviceman to life imprisonment in absentia for his role in war crimes committed during the occupation of Kherson.

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