"Cover Everything" Suspicious 'X' Marks Found Throughout Ukrainian Cities

Russian forces suspected to have left behind shelling targets
Confirmed to have recently started shelling civilian areas
Claims arise of using inhumane weapons such as vacuum bombs and cluster munitions

X-shaped mark painted on the rooftop of a building in Ukraine / Photo by Twitter Capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Russian troops invading Ukraine are reportedly leaving suspicious 'X' markings throughout the cities. These markings have been found on apartment rooftops, gas pipelines, and other locations. Ukrainian authorities suggest that the Russian military may be drawing these marks on bombing targets before leaving, urging citizens to erase any markings immediately upon discovery.

According to reports from US and UK media outlets such as the New York Post and The Mirror on the 28th of last month (local time), the Ukrainian military is on high alert over mysterious 'X' markings found in various parts of the cities.

These X markings have appeared across Ukrainian cities since the invasion began on the 24th of last month. Large red X marks have been painted on apartment rooftops where civilians live, and similar markings have been spotted near gas pipelines that could cause fatal damage if exploded.

Given the situation, the Ukrainian government is making every effort to remove these markings as soon as they are found. On the 25th of last month, the second day of the invasion, the Kyiv city government posted on its official social media accounts urging residents of high-rise buildings with rooftop access to urgently go up and check for markings, and if any traces are found, to cover them with soil or other materials to conceal them.

The X marks have been reported to be found in various places inside Ukrainian cities. / Photo by Twitter Capture

Alexander Tretiak, mayor of Rivne, Ukraine, also posted on his Facebook account, "Urgent notice: Occupy the rooftops, and if you find any markings, paint over them and block access to the rooftops."

Some markings are reportedly painted with 'fluorescent special paint' to be visible even at night. In Lviv, fluorescent paint markings were found on a structure, and the Ukrainian police suspect that Russia left these to use during nighttime missile or artillery attacks.

Meanwhile, the Russian military has recently been confirmed to have shelled civilian areas in major Ukrainian cities, drawing condemnation from the international community.

According to US broadcasts such as NBC on the 1st, Russian forces shelled residential districts in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, the previous day. Videos capturing the tense situation were also posted on social media.

A school in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, destroyed by Russian shelling. / Photo by Yonhap News

There have been allegations that Russian troops are using internationally banned weapons such as cluster munitions and vacuum bombs. The international human rights organization Amnesty presented drone footage as evidence, claiming, "We have confirmed that (Russian) cluster munitions fell in at least seven locations, including on the rooftops of (Ukrainian civilian) buildings and roads outside buildings."

Additionally, the US broadcaster CNN reported that a Russian multiple rocket launcher TOS-1A 'Buratino,' equipped with vacuum bombs, was spotted moving.

Cluster munitions are a type of bomb containing multiple smaller bombs inside a single bomb. When a cluster munition explodes, the smaller bombs inside scatter and detonate over a wide area, killing many people, which is why they are considered inhumane weapons.

Vacuum bombs explode in the air, generating high pressure, and are known as cruel weapons that damage human respiratory systems through intense heat and pressure.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.