DISINFO: Zelenskyy uses civilians as human shield in Kyiv
SUMMARY
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has virtually acknowledged that he is using civilians in Kyiv as human shields. He said that if the city was empty ahead of a possible Russian attack, it would be easy to seize it.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin outlets accusing Ukraine of war crimes, including using civilians as human shields. This claim was made in the context of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
In reality, Zelenskyy cited the experience of the Second World War in an interview to TF1 and LCI and said that it was easier to seize cities when they were empty. Asked whether he meant that Kyiv would not be evacuated at any cost, he said:
“We will hold on, we do not have slavery. We have a democratic society. When people want to go, they can afford it, and that is OK. Each person protects the state, protects himself. The family is also part of the state. There are various examples. Sometimes people have to leave. The state must provide corridors and opportunities for evacuation. But I definitely want to tell you that if the city is empty, it will be very easy to capture it. These are both historical examples and examples of our state. All our destroyed towns in Donbas are empty. People were either killed by the Russian army, or they annihilated them, or people left and did the right thing. They were leaving because they were constantly under fire there. And the ruined towns were seized later.”
There was nothing in Zelenskyy’s word about compelling civilians to stay in Kyiv, should it face a new Russian or Russian-Belarusian attack. He made it clear that everyone was free to either stay in Kyiv or leave it.
Read more disinformation cases about Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.