Invaders set to use Ukrainian men from occupied areas as human shield for own troops - rights activist

The Russians will use the male population of temporarily occupied territories in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions as a human shield for the Russian troops, therefore local are advised to seek ways to flee before they are drafted for service with the invasion army.

That’s according to a rights activist Pavlo Lysianskyi, chief of the Institute of Strategic Research and Security, who spoke on FREEDOM TV.

"Occupation authorities in the Russia-seized Ukrainian territories reassure the population that there is no need for mobilization as the Russian army has enough people. At the same time, they have already completed preparatory measures for forced draft," he said.

At the same time, the expert predicts that the main burden of the "mobilization strike" will fall on the occupied territories of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.

"They need locals, especially in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions: there, a contingent of men has been preserved to be used as a human shield for the invasion units. They will spare no one," said the rights defender.

He added that after the forced mobilization in some areas of Luhansk and Donetsk regions, run in 2022, only a few male employers remained at some enterprises out of a thousand.

"That's how they were swept away, ordered to march onto minefields or get slaughtered as a human shield, in order to save the lives of Russian soldiers from the occupation forces. They couldn’t care less about the local population," said Lysianskyi.

According to the rights defender, currently Russia has introduced its legislation in the temporarily occupied territories so once the draft summons is sent, "draft dodgers" will be declared wanted so it will be more difficult to flee the area.

The human rights defender advises not to wait for the process of forced mobilization to start, seizing the moment and leaving the temporarily occupied territory as soon as possible.

"That’s because the process of forced mobilization has been properly set up so no one will need any training," he added.

Earlier, Ivan Fedorov, the Mayor of Melitopol in exile, said the invaders in the occupied territories of Zaporizhzhia region are mobilizing local men and forcing them to sign contracts with the invasion force.