Russian forces are accused of abducting approximately 50 civilians from a village in Ukraine's northern Sumy region, according to Ukraine's human rights commissioner. Dmytro Lubinets alleges that Russian soldiers crossed the border near Hrabovske village and detained 50 residents on Thursday before forcibly transporting them to Russia on Saturday.
The majority are elderly women who chose not to evacuate despite escalating conflict along the border, including one woman aged 89, with the claims coming after reports emerging of Russian soldiers resorting to cannibalism.
Article continues below ADVERTISEMENTLubinets reports that these civilians were held incommunicado, and their current location is unknown. He has reached out to his counterpart in Russia, inquiring about their whereabouts, detention conditions, and advocating for their immediate safe return to Ukraine.
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A letter was also dispatched to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), urging the global community to "provide a proper legal assessment of Russia's actions."
Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT"These actions constitute violations of the laws and customs of war, unlawful deprivation of liberty, and forced deportation of civilians," Lubinets posted on X.
Article continues below ADVERTISEMENTHrabovske, a mere 200 meters from the Russian border, is situated in the Sumy region of northeast Ukraine, where Ukrainian forces are resisting a Russian incursion.
"Fighting is currently ongoing in the village of Hrabovske," stated Ukraine's joint task force, adding that troops are "making efforts to drive the occupiers back into Russian territory."
Nevertheless, discredited media accounts indicate that Russian forces were also present in the adjacent village of Riasne.
Lubinets' assertions remain unverified independently, and Moscow has offered no public response.
Yet Deutsche Welle reported that the military announced on Saturday it had seized Vysoke village, located several kilometers from Hrabovske.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha declared on X: "With such medieval raids, Putin's Russia shows it is no different from terrorist groups like ISIS, Boko Haram, or Hamas. We demand our civilian hostages to be returned home."
Viktor Trehubov, who leads the Joint Forces Communications Department, characterized the episode as a "localised provocation".