The atrocity showing Russian troops shooting up a family in a civilian house before kidnapping a girl to cover their retreat was caught on drone footage.

by  Leo Chiu | Sept. 24, 2025

Screenshot from drone footage released by Ukraine’s Third Army Corps on Sept. 24, 2025, depicting Russian soldiers using a minor girl as a human shield during their retreat while fighting in the village of Shandryholove in Ukraine’s Donetsk region. (Photo by Ukraine’s Third Army Corps

Ukraine’s Third Army Corps has released drone footage that showed Russian troops using a young girl as a human shield to cover their retreat after shooting up her family.

A spokesperson said the incident took place in the village of Shandryholove in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, near the Lyman sector, although not when it happened.

The unit released the overhead drone footage, which depicted the incident alongside intercepted radio communications between the Russian troops, in a Telegram update on Wednesday.

In the audio, a Russian commander identified as “Bali” could be heard ordering the execution of everyone they come across, including civilians.

“From the radio intercepts it became known: Even before the assault on the village began, the commander of the Russian Federation with the call sign ‘Bali’ gave the order to destroy the civilian population, instructions to act quickly and ‘kill everyone indiscriminately,’” the update says.

“Well, not counting the children,” Bali could be heard telling his comrades.

After clips showing the Russian troops assaulting a house, the video cuts to a screen explaining that a family was killed and the girl was used as a human shield.

Then in the video, Russian troops came under fire as explosions erupted around them. At one point, two of Moscow’s soldiers were seen carrying a child between them as they sought cover.

The drone footage then zoomed in on the girl’s house, showing the blurred body on the ground, a probable family member.

“The enemy unit entered the residential building and shot the peaceful residents, the child’s parents. The Russians kidnapped the girl and are continuing the assault, holding her hostage to prevent them from being fired upon,” the Third Army Corps’ update says.

The fate of the girl remains unclear.

The update concluded with a joint message alongside the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) for civilians in frontline areas to evacuate as soon as possible

Other Ukrainian units across the front in different sectors have reported civilian executions by Russian troops, citing testimonies from captured soldiers.

However, the latest incident marked one of the very few instances when evidence was caught live on camera.

In other instances, Russian troops were also accused of dressing as civilians in combat – a war crime known as “perfidy” under international humanitarian law.