Ukrainian nationalists are effectively using civilians as human shields by deploying military hardware in residential areas, Russia's Ministry of Defence has announced.
Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov has elaborated that data obtained by Russian intelligence shows that Ukrainian nationalists are continuing to deploy artillery units in residential districts, “not just in Kiev but in other Ukrainian cities as well."
He also pointed out that Ukraine's leadership is repeatedly claiming that civilians are not being used as cover and that it is not deploying heavy weaponry in cities, with Konashenkov stressing that “such blatant lies may lead to severe consequences."
The Russian Ministry of Defence also called upon Ukrainian citizens to demand that the government in Kiev immediately pull out heavy weapon systems from residential areas.
Konashenkov also claimed that Russian armed forces are not conducting any strikes against residential areas in Ukrainian cities.
Earlier, Russia's envoy Ambassador to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzia said nationalists in Ukraine are using civilians as human shields and described it as “yet another brutal, inhumane move in this Ukrainian chessboard.”
This week, Russia formally recognised the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR respectively), making this move amid the sudden escalation in the region as Ukrainian forces intensified shelling of the republics' territory.
Soon after, Moscow launched a military operation in Ukraine after DPR and LPR authorities asked for assistance to defend themselves from attacks by Ukrainian troops.
The Russian government stated that the goal of this operation is to neutralise Ukraine's military capacity, with precision strikes being carried out against the Ukrainian military infrastructure.