<figure id="attachment_291721" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-291721" style="width: 3540px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="2ec28912"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2023/01/aflo_207734362.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-291721" class="wp-caption-text">Ukrainian soldiers in Russian captivity. Some of them may have also been used as &#8220;human shields&#8221; (Image: Andriy Yermak Via Telegram/Reuters/Afro)</figcaption></figure>
 The guns they were issued were rusted guns from the 1970s and were useless. They are called &#8220;meat&#8221; and deployed to the front lines against shell-shocked Ukraine. They were used as &#8220;human shields.
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 The independent Russian media outlet Astra reported on the tragic reality of the approximately 300,000 reserve mobilized soldiers who have been called up since the end of last year.
 On the Russian SNS &#8220;Telegram,&#8221; many images of bulletproof vests with holes and battered guns issued to mobilized soldiers have been uploaded. Some of the soldiers were ordered by their superiors to &#8216;procure weapons and hemostats on their own&#8217; on the day they received their call-up letters. Although a three-month training period was initially promised, there are cases of soldiers being deployed to the front lines in a matter of days.
 Because of these tragic circumstances, many of the mobilized soldiers have refused to participate in combat. There is no end to the number of soldiers who have fled. As punishment, mobilized soldiers are sent to the front lines where the fighting is fierce. They are being used as a &#8216;bullet repellent&#8217; to keep the Ukrainian army&#8217;s attention focused on them in order to preserve the regular army,&#8221; said a reporter from the international section of a national newspaper.
<h2> 350 people were trapped in a small basement for a month. &#8230;&#8230;</h2>
 It is not only Russian mobilized soldiers who are being used as &#8220;human shields. Ukrainian civilians who have been taken prisoner are also being victimized.
 According to Ukrainian prosecutors, during the invasion of the northern Chernihiv region, Russian troops locked more than 350 residents in the basement of a local school for a month. That was to fend off attacks by Ukrainian troops. Some 80 children were among them.
 The basement was only about 14 meters square, and the residents were not allowed to go outside except to use the toilet. There were no vents and it was difficult to lie down. Due to lack of food and lack of oxygen, elderly people died one after another, saying, &#8216;I can&#8217;t breathe. &#8230;&#8230;
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 In Ukraine, it seems that residents are being used as &#8220;human shields&#8221; in various parts of the country: The Sankei Shimbun dated January 19 reported that Russian troops had taken 5,000 residents of the West Bank to the East Bank, from which they had retreated, in the southern province of Kherson. It said this was to avoid a counterattack by Ukrainian troops.
 The Russian military is also said to use a number of inhumane weapons. The one reportedly used in the attack on eastern Kramatorsk last April was a cluster munition mounted on a short-range ballistic missile called an &#8216;SS21B-type&#8217; (commonly known as a &#8216;Tochka&#8217;). Countless metal fragments scatter, indiscriminately killing and injuring people in a wide area. Because of the large number of unexploded bombs, these bombs are known to cause extensive damage even after the battle is over.
 It is also suspected of spraying sarin, a highly poisonous substance, and using &#8220;white phosphorus bombs,&#8221; which have a high combustion power and burn the skin of victims. Since Ukraine cannot compete in conventional warfare with the latest Western weapons provided to it, it is believed that Ukraine will also resort to the use of chemical weapons, which are prohibited under international law.
 The International Criminal Court is working with the Ukrainian authorities to gather evidence of war crimes committed by the Russian military.

 Andriy Yermak Via Telegram/Reuters/Afro

 The Russian military is using Ukrainian residents as "human shields" by imprisoning them in a war zone. The elderly are locked in basements and die one after another. There are suspicions of the use of inhumane weapons that lead to mass killings. We report on the horrific tyranny of Russia.

Elderly man dies in basement because he &#8220;can&#8217;t breathe&#8221;&#8230;Russian troops use children and other Ukrainian residents as &#8220;human shields&#8221; in inhumane conditions.

Elderly man dies in basement because he “can’t breathe”…Russian troops use children and other Ukrainian residents as “human shields” in inhumane conditions.

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