It escapes me, the exact source, but I read somewhere that one of the techniques being taught by western advisors to the Ukrainian military was to use human shields because that way the “enemy” would not risk firing at them. Russia, unlike Ukraine, has been meticulous in trying to avoid civilian casualties.
The Azot chemical plant at Severodonetsk was until very recently under the control of the Kiev forces. On 31 May Tass reported that a container of chemicals was blown up at the plant, which manufactures acetic acid, methanol and vinyl acetate and employs some 7,000 people.
Before Russian forces took control of Severodonetsk the whole Azot plant was mined before the retreating Ukrainian fighters left. That strategic advice from western advisors was being meticulously followed is borne out from the same procedures being adopted at the Azovstal plant in Mariupol.
According to a captured security official from Azot there are 300 civilians held somewhere in a basement at the plant. This, like the pre-exit mining of these enterprises, is the same practice NATO forces followed during the Iraq War and other recent invasions abroad.
Apti Alaudinov, assistant to the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, told RIA Novosti.
“We have information that there are about 300 civilians who were driven into some basement by the APU who mined everything.”
As with Azovstal the Ukrainian forces had taken over the factory complex at Azot when they were facing certain defeat and morale was very low.
On 4 June it was reported that soldiers of the third battalion of the 115th Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine published a video in which they address President Vladimir Zelensky and Commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhny.
“We refuse to carry out combat missions because we have no reinforcements, no heavy equipment to cover us. We have been waiting for reinforcements for two weeks. We are being sent to certain death. There is no command. There is no technique and no respect for people. Absolutely nothing. We do not refuse to defend our country, but in such conditions we refuse to serve in the 115th brigade,” the military said.
The fighters stated that their unit would not follow the instructions of the command and was leaving the position, in fact, refusing to “defend” Severodonetsk.
A few days later, the wife of one of the servicemen of the 115th Brigade also published a video message. The woman reported that the servicemen were “simply being killed.”
“The 115th Brigade is not deserters! They are simply being killed. They are being killed to hide their crimes, because they [the leadership] sold all the weapons and do not give them anything [to the AFU fighters],” she said.
The wife of the military also pointed out that the entire 115th brigade are volunteers who have no experience in combat operations, and the age of the fighters exceeds 40 years.
All the Goss 