Russian forces are planning to begin public executions in an effort to break the morale of Ukrainians resisting their invasion, according to a European intelligence official who spoke with multiple U.S. news publications.
The unnamed official, who spoke to Bloomberg, said the Russian government has devised plans to erode the morale of the Ukrainian people, who for a week now have held out against a full-scale Russian invasion force. The plan reportedly includes cracking down on protests, detaining opponents of Russia, and even carrying out public executions.
Fox News national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin also tweeted that a European official told the news channel that Russia’s federal intelligence agency, the Federal Security Service (FSB), developed the plans.
“.@GillianHTurner and .@james_levinson report: A European Official tells FNC Russia’s Federal Security Service, their intel branch, has drafted plans to conduct public executions in Ukrainian cities once they have been captured,” Griffin tweeted.
In the past week of fighting, thousands of Ukrainian civilians have volunteered to take up arms alongside regular Ukrainian military service members. Ukrainian politicians, such as former boxing champion and Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, are among those civilians who have taken up arms to fight back against the Russian invasion.
One Ukrainian brewery also switched over from bottling beers to producing incendiary gas bombs, known as Molotov cocktails.
Other Ukrainian civilians have attempted to oppose Russia’s invasion forces by more peaceful means. Some civilians have formed human roadblocks, to prevent Russian military vehicles from being able to drive through. Ukraine’s main road maintenance and signage agency has also removed road signs in order to confuse Russian troops trying to navigate the country.
