Ukrainian forces that have occupied part of Kursk Region have committed atrocities against civilians while using them as human shields, the commander of the Akhmat Special Forces from Russia's Chechen Republic has claimed.
In a post on Telegram on Monday, Apty Alaudinov recounted an episode in the border town of Sudzha, where he said Ukrainian troops had entered a residential house with children inside.
“In this building, they settled down on the ground floor… and chased children and teachers upstairs to use them as a shield,” he said, adding that this practice is widespread.
He claimed that first-person footage filmed by the Ukrainians had ended up in Russian hands, and showed the brutality of Kiev’s forces. Alaudinov said he had no words to describe Ukrainians other than “fascists and Satanists.”
“I received a huge number of photos in which I saw civilians who were simply shot at point-blank [range], in the head and from the back. All these civilians, unfortunately, died,” he said, expressing his condolences and vowing revenge.
Alaudinov expressed absolute confidence of a military victory. “The enemy has already broken his teeth. He has understood that he won’t pass in our sector,” he said, referring to the positions defended by Akhmat.
Moscow has accused Ukrainian forces of atrocities on Russian soil, claiming that Kiev is indiscriminately targeting civilians. According to official data, at least 17 people have been killed and more than 140 injured by Ukrainian forces in Kursk Region.
As fighting continues on the border, videos have surfaced on social media showing Ukrainian troops grabbing people off the street, blindfolding them, and pushing them into trucks.
Ukraine’s offensive in Kursk, the largest cross-border incursion into Russia so far in the conflict, began earlier this month with some initial gains. The Russian Defense Ministry has said that the advance has been halted and estimated Ukrainian losses at more than 4,100 troops.