Azov Battalion 'Using Women And Children As Human Shields' in Azovstal Steel Factory

Chris Menahan
InformationLiberation
Apr. 18, 2022

Lieutenant Colonel Denis Prokopenko, Commander of the Azov Battalion, shared video on Monday to social media which appeared to show his group is using women and children as human shields at the "Azovstal" steel factory in Mariupol.

⚡️Commander of the Azov Regiment Lieutenant Colonel Denis Prokopenko addressed world leaders

The Azovstal plant, which is currently being bombed by Russian planes, has many civilians hiding from the occupiers. Watch the video. pic.twitter.com/tHzbYYeM64
— ТРУХА⚡️English (@TpyxaNews) April 18, 2022

Azov shared this video allegedly showing woman and children in the "Azovstal bunkers."

Transcript of Prokopenko's video at top:

I am commander of Azov regiment, Denis Prokopenko. I call to the leaders of the world. Right now, in Mariupol, at "Azovstal" steel factory hundreds of civilians are sheltering. Among them -- people of all ages, women, children, families of Mariupol defenders. They are sheltering in the basements and bunkers from "russian world"

They found their only available shelter next to the Ukrainian soldiers, who are still defending the city from russian invaders."

Russian occupational forces, and their proxy from "lnr/dnr" know that, they know about civilians, and they keep their fire on the factory willingly. They use free fall bombs, rockets, bunker-buster bombs, all varieties of artillery, both ground and naval for indiscriminate attacks.

City theater, maternity hospital, schools, kindergartens, hospitals, houses were destroyed by those who now offers civilians evacuation and safety. These are the same people. And nobody believes these bastards. Therefore I urge the politicians of all civilized world to organize a proper "green corridor", ensure it's safety and provide immediate evacuation and protection of civilians, wounded soldiers, and bodies of dead soldiers, to bury them with honors.

Perhaps notably, Prokopenko did not pan the camera to show they were all together. It is possible that this is just a psy-op and they're not actually using women and children as human shields but using women and children as human shields is Azov's standard modus operandi, so it would not be shocking if he's actually telling the truth.

Regardless, either way it's an absolute disgrace.

Russia gave the Azov holdouts their final offer to surrender over the weekend but it was rejected. There's video on YouTube of Russian troops evacuating other children in Mariupol to safety. Nonetheless, Ukrainian forces rejected Russia's offer with Major Serhiy Volyna stating, "We will not surrender and will fight to the end."

"Fighting to the end" in this case means sacrificing civilians so the Zelensky regime can emotionally blackmail the West into putting boots on the ground and starting World War III.

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