KEY POINTS
- The Russian army is using residents of the town of Nova Kakhovka as ‘human shield’
- Russia is also recruiting Ukrainian residents in Horlivka in Donetsk Oblast
- Russia has so far lost over 153,000 military personnel in the war in Ukraine
Russia is using Ukrainian civilians in a town in the temporarily occupied region of Kherson as shields against attacks from Ukraine’s army, according to an intelligence report.
In particular, the Kremlin’s army is placing its air defense systems in the residential areas of Nova Kakhova to shoot down any weapons launched by Ukrainian forces targeting the Russian military.
“In the town of Nova Kakhovka (Kherson oblast), the occupiers are using civilians as human shields. In particular, in order to shoot down the means of destruction intended for enemy military targets, the occupation forces place their air defense systems among the residential areas of the town,” the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (UAF) wrote in a situation update published on Sunday.
In addition, the UAF General Staff said the Russian army is planning on mobilizing local Ukrainian residents in Horlivka in Donetsk Oblast to replenish its ranks amid large-scale losses. Men born between 1995 and 2005 would automatically be registered for military service.
The mobilization was set to begin on March 5, but the UAF General Staff did not specify whether the plan pushed through.
“In order to replenish its large-scale casualties, the adversary continues to conduct covert mobilization in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine. In particular, it is planned to start another wave of mobilization of local residents of Horlivka (Donetsk oblast) into the ranks of the Russian occupation forces on March 5. All heads of educational institutions have been instructed in writing by the Russian occupation administration to register men born between 1995 and 2005 for military service,” the UAF General Staff said in another report.
Russia launched its unprovoked, invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. As of Sunday, Moscow has lost a total of 153,120 military personnel in the war in Ukraine, according to estimates from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. The figure includes 930 soldiers who were killed the previous day.
On top of its military losses, the Russian army has also lost over 3,000 tanks, 6,000 combat armored machines, 2,000 artillery systems and UAVs and 5,000 vehicles and fuel tanks.
