Russian troops have settled on the premises of a school in the village of Orlyanske in Zaporizhzhya Region and are using local schoolchildren as a "human shield", the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has said on Facebook.
"There are about 70 occupiers living on the ground floor, while children, including first graders, are studying on the first floor, and enemy military equipment is placed in the school yard. The educational process began on 1 September and the situation is similar at most schools and kindergartens in the region," the command said.
The General Staff noted that a situation like this explains why the occupiers insisted on starting the school year in the temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories.
"Despite attempts by the occupiers and their henchmen, a significant part of the educational institutions never launched operation in a full-time format. The propaganda events organized by the collaborators on the occasion of Knowledge Day with the participation of Russian officials did not work either," the command added.