Border villagers kidnapped and brought to Russia, says Ukraine

[ad_1] Vitaly Shevchenko BBC Monitoring Russia editor

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/e2f3/live/e4b4b220-e09d-11f0-89c4-35dd66915c88.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/e2f3/live/e4b4b220-e09d-11f0-89c4-35dd66915c88.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/e2f3/live/e4b4b220-e09d-11f0-89c4-35dd66915c88.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/e2f3/live/e4b4b220-e09d-11f0-89c4-35dd66915c88.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/e2f3/live/e4b4b220-e09d-11f0-89c4-35dd66915c88.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/e2f3/live/e4b4b220-e09d-11f0-89c4-35dd66915c88.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/e2f3/live/e4b4b220-e09d-11f0-89c4-35dd66915c88.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/e2f3/live/e4b4b220-e09d-11f0-89c4-35dd66915c88.jpg.webp" loading="eager" alt="Francisco Richart/SOPA Images/LightRocket Police evacuation group White Angels evacuates civilians from the village of Krasnopillya " class="sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA"/> Francisco Richart/SOPA Photos/LightRocket Ukraine's police evacuation group White Angels evacuates civilians from the village of Krasnopillya in Sumy area

Fifty-two residents of a Ukrainian village have been taken to Russia by invading forces in a cross-border raid on the village of Hrabovske, authorities in Kyiv say. 13 Ukrainian troopers had been additionally captured within the border village within the northeastern Sumy area.

The assault occurred at night time on Saturday, when about 100 Russian troops attacked the village, mentioned Viktor Trehubov, a spokesman for Ukraine's navy Joint Forces Activity Drive.

The civilians had been first rounded up in a church after which taken throughout the border to Russia, he instructed the BBC.

It was uncommon for invading forces to take civilians to Russia earlier than establishing a agency presence in occupied territory, he added.

Russia has to date not commented on the destiny of civilians from Hrabovske, however stories from Ukraine point out they could have been taken to Belgorod, a serious regional centre about 50 miles (80 km) inside Russia.

"My buddies' mom has been taken there. There isn't a approach of contacting her regardless that they tried," mentioned Volodymyr Bitsak, a member of the Sumy regional council. "So far as I do know, they have been taken to town of Belgorod and are being held at an unknown location."

Lt-Col Trehubov instructed the BBC on Tuesday night that combating was nonetheless ongoing within the southern a part of Hrabovske, however Deep State, a Ukrainian web site monitoring the battlefield scenario, mentioned later that the village had been captured by Russian forces.

The defence ministry in Moscow mentioned on Tuesday that Ukrainian forces had been "hit" at Hrabovske and several other different villages in Sumy area.

In the meantime, within the japanese area of Donetsk, the Ukrainian navy mentioned it had withdrawn troops from the embattled city of Siversk "to protect the lives of our troopers".

Russia's seize of the city brings its forces nearer to the Donetsk "fortress belt cities" of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, about 35km (21 miles) to the west.

Ukrainian authorities have been working to maneuver civilians away from components of the Sumy area bordering Russia. However Viktor Babych, a deputy head of the Sumy regional administration, says 56% of residents in border areas are refusing to be go away, and 32,000 civilians together with 604 youngsters stay there.

Many of the 52 civilians captured within the cross-border raid on Hrabovske had been aged individuals who had refused official evacuation orders.

"It was a smash and seize," mentioned Lt-Col Trehubov. "They shortly rounded everybody up and shortly eliminated them. This had by no means occurred earlier than. We had by no means had such raids earlier than."

Nevertheless, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned youngsters had been captured too.

"I am shocked there have been youngsters. I am merely shocked that oldsters handled their youngsters like that," Zelensky instructed reporters. "I believe they merely didn't count on to be taken [to Russia] by Russian navy."

The overwhelming majority of civilians had already been evacuated from the village, whose pre-war inhabitants is reported to be about 700 individuals.

Ukraine's ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets says the civilians "had been held incommunicado and in improper circumstances" by Russian troops invading Hrabovske earlier than being taken out of Ukraine.

"Such actions are a critical violation of worldwide humanitarian legislation. They violate the legal guidelines and customs of struggle by unlawfully detaining and forcefully deporting civilians," he says.