WATCH: Ukraine Says Russian Troops Led Children Into Gas Pipeline to Cover Retreat

Drone footage released by Ukraine’s Khartiia Corps shows a group that includes children, older people, and a person on crutches being led toward a pipeline. The corps says Russian troops used them to shield their withdrawal. Russian forces forced civilians from the Kupiansk area in the Kharkiv Region into a gas pipeline while retreating from a Ukrainian counteroffensive, according to the National Guard’s 2nd Khartiia Corps.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. The corps said its reconnaissance drones recorded the group on Sunday, Sept. 27. Nine people, including children, older residents, and one person using crutches can be seen in the footage. Men of fighting age wearing civilian clothes walk alongside them. The corps believes the men are Russian soldiers who removed their uniforms, but their identities cannot be established from the footage alone. Труба для диверсантів у Куп’янську стала трубою для викрадення людей: окупанти женуть через газогін дітей і літніх людей, прикриваючи відхід власних сил.Наші військові задокументували цей випадок. Кожна дія росіян на цьому відео є воєнним злочином. pic.twitter.com/W2l5FszL4W— КОРПУС ХАРТІЯ (@khartiia_corps) September 28, 2026 Khartiia said the group was taken from Kupiansk through the village of Holubivka to the Shebelinka-Ostrogozhsk pipeline and led inside. Russian forces have previously used the pipeline to move troops toward the city, the corps said.Ukrainian troops say the children and older people would have to travel more than 10 kilometers (6 miles) through the pipeline. It emerges in a forest, from where the group would likely be taken to Russian-occupied territory. According to troops, Russian forces filmed them throughout the journey.Ukrainian troops spotted the group but did not fire because civilians were among them. Other Topics of Interest Ukraine Prepares for Worst-Case Scenario as Russia Targets Internet Infrastructure Between Sept. 23-25, Russian forces carried out a series of attacks on Ukrainian data centers, including those operated by UTELS, MiroHost, and DATAGROUP, as well as other communications infrastructure. The corps allege that Russian soldiers relied on their presence to avoid attack as they withdrew. It said it had documented the incident and would submit the material for a war crimes investigation. The incident could involve several violations of international humanitarian law. The Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits the forcible transfer or deportation of civilians from occupied territory. The Fourth Geneva Convention and Additional Protocol I prohibit using civilians’ presence or movement to shield military forces from attack. Combatants are required to distinguish themselves from civilians during military operations.In 2023, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin over the alleged unlawful deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children in a separate case. The corps also suspects that the men accompanying the civilians were Russian soldiers who had removed their uniforms. Their identities cannot be confirmed from the footage alone.Khartiia warned that Russian media may portray the footage as an evacuation or rescue, however, the civilians were instead forced into the pipeline while Russian troops withdrew alongside them, using their presence as cover. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.