Ukraine: Russians abduct 50 Ukrainians from border village in Sumy

Russian troops have abducted around 50 Ukrainians from a village in the north-eastern border region of Sumy and taken them to Russia, Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets reported on Sunday.

In a post on Telegram, Lubinets, citing preliminary information, said Russian forces had captured residents of the village of Hrabovske right on the border with Russia on Thursday.

They were held prisoner without access to means of communication before being abducted to Russia on Saturday, he said.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the majority of those abducted were "elderly women," asking the international community to intervene.

"We urge all states and international organizations to join us in demanding the release of innocent civilian people stolen from their homes," he wrote on X.

"This particular war crime is already being prosecuted in Ukraine and should receive an appropriate response at the international level as well," he added.

"It also underscores the permanent threat of living next to Russia. That is why Ukraine needs a real, lasting peace. Living next to terrorists requires strength and robust security guarantees."

Lubinets said that he had appealed to the Russian human rights commissioner and to the Red Cross.

He issued an appeal to Ukrainians to evacuate from border regions along with their relatives, saying that it was dangerous to remain there.

Ukrainian media reported citing military sources that most of those abducted had previously refused to evacuate to the Ukrainian interior.

Sumy Military Governor Oleh Hryhorov said on Facebook that evacuation from border regions was ongoing. This included residents who had in the past refused to leave the area.

Ukraine has been warding off a Russian full-scale invasion for almost four years. Sumy has been the target of repeated Russian attacks.