Russian Major General Apty Alaudinov, commander of the "Akhmat" special forces, accused Ukrainian troops of using civilians as human shields in Sudzha, a city in Russia's Kursk region, TASS news agency reported.
Alaudinov reportedly claimed that Ukrainian soldiers occupied the first floor of an orphanage, forcing children and teachers to the second floor to shield themselves. He also alleged that Ukrainian troops shot residents at close range in the border areas of the region.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently explained the nation's troops are targeting the Kursk region to create a buffer zone against cross-border attacks from Russian forces.
