Fifty peaceful residents of the village of Grabovskoye in the Sumy region of Ukraine were forcibly removed from the country by Russian military forces. This was reported by Zamin.uz.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha and Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets issued an official statement about this. The events began on December 18.
The Russian armed forces took control of the citizens remaining in the village of Grabovskoye, located near the border with Belgorod region, deprived them of communication means, and held them in inhumane conditions. On December 20, 50 citizens were forcibly deported to Russian territory.
Among those taken hostage, the majority were elderly women and men. Ukraine considers this situation a war crime in violation of international law and the Geneva Conventions.
Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha called on international organizations to pay attention to this situation and to return the citizens illegally taken from Ukraine. He also urged support for the demand to urgently return thousands of other Ukrainians, including children, to their homes.
Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets sent an official request to human rights organizations in Russia and the International Committee of the Red Cross, demanding information about the whereabouts and health of the deported citizens. Before the war, nearly 700 people lived in the village of Grabovskoye.
Currently, the village remains directly under military actions and at risk. Ukrainian officials have opened a criminal case and initiated an investigation into this incident.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has not yet commented on this matter. Experts believe that such actions grossly violate international law.
