Russians struck group of civilians in Kupiansk: man was killed and woman was taken towards Russia, - Trehubov
Viktor Trehubov, a spokesperson for the Joint Forces Operation, reported that a man had been killed and a woman injured as a result of a Russian strike on a group of civilians who were leaving Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region.
According to Censor.NET, he made this statement on television.
The Russians attacked a group of ten people
According to Viktor Trehubov, at around 7.30 am on 13 October, Russian troops forced ten civilians to leave the town. As they were leaving, the group came under mortar fire.
At least two people — a man and a woman — were injured in the shelling. The man died. According to preliminary reports, the woman was evacuated towards Russia. It is not yet known what happened to her afterwards.
"Yesterday at 7.30 am, the Russians forced 10 civilians to leave... As they were leaving, they came under mortar fire," said Trehubov.
The route via Holubivka could have been used to provide cover for the military
According to the spokesperson, over the past week or two, Russian troops have been using a route from Kupiansk via Holubivka to the gas pipeline. In his view, people may have been used as human shields along this route, with the Russians using them as cover whilst their forces withdrew and wounded soldiers were evacuated.
People in civilian clothing carrying weapons had previously been spotted on this route. The Ukrainian military had released video footage of these incidents. However, during the most recent incident, no armed individuals were observed within the group.
Trehubov suggested that, on this occasion, it involved a group of civilians who had been sent to the city’s outskirts to stage a provocation.
The Ukrainian Defence Forces are investigating all the circumstances surrounding the Russian attack on the evacuation convoy in Kupiansk.
