Under the procedural guidance of the Donetsk Regional Prosecutor's Office, a pre-trial investigation has been initiated regarding the war crime stipulated in part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

According to the investigation, on November 10, 2025, the military of the aggressor state grossly violated the norms of international humanitarian law. Around 14:30, the commander of one of the units of the Russian Armed Forces, while in communication with subordinates who had entered Pokrovsk, ordered the use of civilians as a "human shield."

During the so-called "cleansing" of the residential sector, they were to lead a detained man, a woman, and a 13-year-old child in front of them, exposing them to lethal danger.

Currently, investigative and search actions are being conducted to establish all the circumstances of the crime, the individuals involved, and to clarify the further fate of the civilians.

The pre-trial investigation is being carried out by the Main Directorate of the Security Service of Ukraine in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.