Kathrine Frich
Fighting along Ukraine’s northern border has increasingly exposed small settlements to raids.
Some villages close to the frontline have already been largely abandoned as residents flee ongoing shelling and military activity.
Officials in Kyiv now say a group of civilians from one such village has been taken to Russia and used in a propaganda broadcast.
Residents taken
Nineteen people from the village of Sopich in Ukraine’s Sumy region were deported to Russia, according to Ukraine’s Human Rights Ombudsman.
Dmytro Lubinets said contact with the group was initially lost before they later appeared in footage broadcast on the Russian television channel Vesti.
“These are 19 Ukrainian citizens. According to reports, contact with them was initially lost. Then the Russians broadcast a propaganda film on the ‘Vesti’ channel,” Lubinets said, according to the Unian news agency.
Kyiv demands access
The Ukrainian ombudsman said he had formally contacted Russian authorities about the incident.
Lubinets demanded immediate access to the detained Ukrainians as well as information about their health and conditions.
He also called for their prompt return to Ukraine.
Border tensions
Local media report that around 300 people lived in Sopich before the escalation of fighting, though many residents had already left due to the security situation.
Despite evacuation warnings, 19 people, including nine men of military age, reportedly remained in the village.
Officials say Russian forces have recently intensified infiltration attempts in border settlements.
Previous incidents
Vadym Mysnyk, head of communications for Ukraine’s northern military grouping, said Russian units are trying to penetrate small settlements by exploiting their numerical advantage and difficult weather conditions.
Similar incidents have been reported previously.
In one earlier case, Russian forces carried out a nighttime operation in the town of Hrabovsk, where more than 50 residents were reportedly deported to Russia.
Source: Unian, O2.
