Kharkiv Regional Council deputy Serhii Zhukov stated this on Espreso TV."Civilians remaining in the city pose a problem. We have reports from the military—testimonies that have already been documented—showing that the Russians used our civilians who were in Kupiansk as human shields, including children. Our military conducted a successful operation in the combat zone to liberate civilian hostages from one of the basements, where small children were being held," Zhukov noted.According to the Kharkiv Regional Council deputy, two Russian military personnel attempted to hide among civilians to evade Ukrainian military personnel who were conducting clearing operations in the area. This is not an isolated case, and it affects not only Kupiansk."This concerns many communities where the security situation is unsafe for civilians. Moreover, these civilians endanger not only themselves and their children, but also our military personnel, who face significant difficulties executing combat missions because of their presence," Zhukov emphasized.President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that his video address from Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region, which Russian dictator Vladimir Putin previously called occupied, influenced talks with the U.S. and Europe.