Intercepted radio suggests Russian commander ordered troops to shoot civilians near Pokrovsk, HUR says
An intercepted radio communication released by Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) suggests a Russian commander ordering his soldiers to shoot civilians near the embattled city of Pokrovsk.
"Don't let anyone pass on the way, anyone with large civilian bags, just f*ck them up," a Russian commander can be heard saying in audio published by HUR on Oct. 22.
The order to kill civilians was issued by the field commander of Russia's 30th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade, part of the 2nd Combined Arms Army of the Central Military District, according to HUR. The Kyiv Independent cannot independently verify the contents of the intercepted radio transmission.
The radio chatter is allegedly linked to a video released Oct. 20 by the 7th Corps of Ukraine’s Air Assault Forces that, according to the Ukrainian military, shows the aftermath of an incident in which a Russian assault group, after infiltrating behind Ukrainian lines, shot and killed several unarmed civilians in Pokrovsk.
The alleged war crime in the front-line hot spot in Donetsk Oblast was initially reported on Oct. 19 by Ukrainian volunteer Denys Khrystov, who evacuates civilians from front-line settlements and documents his work on social media.
In a Telegram post, Khrystov shared a video given to him by soldiers fighting in Pokrovsk showing the casualties of the Russian attack.
The attack was reportedly carried out on Mostovyi Lane, next to the railway line running through central Pokrovsk, which is clearly identifiable in the video.
Two civilians are seen on the video lying prone, seemingly lifeless. On the side of the street, a third resident appears to be injured and is carried off by an unidentified male civilian.
"Recently, an enemy sabotage and reconnaissance group managed to infiltrate the center of Pokrovsk," the 7th Corps wrote.
"During their advance, unfortunately, the Russians violated international humanitarian law and killed several civilians in the city."
The exact number and nature of the civilian casualties were still being determined, Donetsk Oblast police spokesperson Pavlo Diachenko told the Kyiv Independent on Oct. 20.
According to Khrystov, the wounded woman visible in the drone footage remains inside Pokrovsk, as conditions make her evacuation impossible.
Due to the extreme danger from Russian drone strikes of any vehicles travelling in and out of Pokrovsk, humanitarian volunteers — including those that evacuate civilians — have almost completely stopped travelling to the city.
According to Diachenko, even the National Police's special White Angels unit, dedicated to evacuating civilians out of the hottest spots on the front line, no longer enters Pokrovsk; instead, it coordinates with soldiers to get residents out on an ad hoc basis.
Francis Farrell
