Russian authorities in occupied regions of Ukraine are forcing residents to return to previously evacuated settlements on the front line, the National Resistance Center reported on Aug. 25.
The Center said that Ukrainians who had earlier been deported to Berdiansk due to heavy fighting were being sent back to front-line homes in Tokmak and Vasylivka.
People living in these communities are essentially "human shields," the Center said.
According to the report, Russian authorities are also planning to open schools on the front.
Along with the danger posed to schoolchildren due to intense fighting in the area, Russian troops may use schools as makeshift military bases. The official explanation for military presence in schools is to provide additional security for students.
"However, in reality, the vacant floors are used by combat units of the Russian Armed Forces," the Center said.
Russian-installed proxies in the occupied regions have conducted forced evacuation campaigns as part of their efforts to depopulate Ukrainian territory and pressure residents to take Russian passports.
By the same token, occupying authorities prevented evacuation from areas flooded after the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam.
Katie Marie Davies
(Updated: )
