Russian MoD: Kiev Applies Same Methods as Terrorists, Uses Civilians as Human Shields
After Moscow launched a special operation in Ukraine on Thursday, Russia's Defence Ministry stressed that Russian forces did not launch any strikes on Ukrainian cities, only targeting the country's military infrastructure with high-precision strikes.
The Russian Defence Ministry has said that Kiev applies the same methods as terrorists, using civilians as human shields.
"Your nationalist leadership is using the same methods as terrorists. They want to use you as a human shield. The Russian armed forces will not launch any strikes on residential areas of the Ukrainian capital", the ministry said in an address to Ukrainian residents on Friday.
The address came as Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told reporters that the Ukrainian Security Service had placed groups of nationalists in regular military units of the country's armed forces.
"The Security Service of Ukraine infiltrated into regular military units of the Ukrainian armed forces groups of inveterate nationalists numbering 25-30 people who underwent special training", Konashenkov said.
He added that "the nationalists identify unreliable [individuals] among the Ukrainian military. And if the commanders of the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine decide to withdraw from the occupied lines, they act as barrage detachments".
Amid the ongoing attacks perpetrated by Kiev's forces in Donbass, Russia launched a special military operation on Thursday to stop the bloodshed, targeting the Ukrainian military. Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that the operation aims at the demilitarisation and denazification of Ukraine.
The Russian Defence Ministry, in turn, stated that precision weapons are neutralising Ukrainian military infrastructure objects, including air bases, and air defences. The ministry noted that Ukrainian cities are not being targeted, and only military facilities are being neutralised.
On Monday, Russia recognised the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, DPR and LPR, respectively. The move came amid the Ukrainian Army's intensifying shelling of the DPR and LPR, which led to civilian casualties there.
Oleg Burunov
