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Russian Forces Strike Civilian Evacuation Column Leaving Kupiansk
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Russian forces struck a group of people leaving the frontline city of Kupiansk in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region during what Ukrainian officials described as a forced evacuation operation on October 13.
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The number of casualties remains unknown as Ukrainian forces investigate the circumstances of the attack. According to Ukraine’s Joint Forces Group on October 13, the column consisted primarily of civilians, based on preliminary information.
Ukrainian military officials said the attack occurred during another evacuation organized by Russian forces operating in the area.
Viktor Trehubov, spokesperson for Ukraine’s Joint Forces Group, said Ukrainian forces had recorded footage of the incident but that the available images were not clear enough to establish how many people had been injured or killed.
Ukraine’s Joint Forces Group accused Russian troops of attacking civilians during an evacuation organized by occupying forces.
Ukrainian officials said Russian forces had conducted several similar operations around Kupiansk in recent weeks, describing them as forced removals of local residents rather than voluntary evacuations.
During previous operations, Russian troops allegedly used civilians as human shields to conceal the withdrawal or rotation of military personnel from contested areas. Trehubov suggested that the latest incident could have been intended as an information operation, although Ukrainian authorities have not yet established the full circumstances.
He also confirmed that Russian troops remain present in parts of Kupiansk, particularly its northern districts, where their positions allow them to conduct such operations.
Russian forces have recently intensified attempts to regain positions lost around Kupiansk, according to the spokesperson. Their operations include renewed advances toward Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi and efforts to maintain a foothold on the western bank of the Oskil River.
Earlier, on September 28, Ukraine’s Khartiia Corps reported that Russian troops had allegedly forced civilians, including children and elderly people, into a gas pipeline near Kupiansk while using them as cover to withdraw from Ukrainian positions. Ukrainian reconnaissance drones recorded the group, which reportedly included Russian soldiers disguised in civilian clothing.
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