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Russian raid captures civilians in Sumy region
Ukrainian authorities report that 52 residents of Hrabovske, a village in the northeastern Sumy region, were forcibly taken to Russia during a nighttime cross-border attack on Saturday. Thirteen Ukrainian soldiers were also captured in the operation.
Attack details and civilian abductions
Approximately 100 Russian troops stormed Hrabovske under cover of darkness, according to Viktor Trehubov, spokesperson for Ukraine's military Joint Forces Task Force. Civilians were herded into a local church before being transported across the border into Russia.
Trehubov noted the incident marked an unusual tactic, as Russian forces typically avoid moving civilians before securing full control of occupied areas. Moscow has not commented on the civilians' status, but Ukrainian sources suggest they may have been relocated to Belgorod, a Russian city roughly 80 kilometers from the border.
"My friends' mother is among those taken. There's no way to reach her, even though they've tried," said Volodymyr Bitsak, a member of the Sumy regional council. "From what we know, they're being held somewhere in Belgorod."
Village status and ongoing conflict
As of Tuesday evening, Lt-Col Trehubov confirmed that fighting persisted in the southern part of Hrabovske. However, Deep State, a Ukrainian battlefield monitoring platform, later reported that Russian forces had seized control of the village.
Russia's defense ministry acknowledged striking Ukrainian positions in Hrabovske and other Sumy villages but did not address civilian abductions.
Withdrawal in Donetsk and civilian resistance
In a separate development, Ukrainian forces withdrew from the eastern town of Siversk in Donetsk to "preserve soldiers' lives," according to military statements. The retreat brings Russian troops closer to the strategic cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, located about 35 kilometers west.
Ukrainian officials have urged civilians to evacuate border areas in Sumy, but resistance remains high. Viktor Babych, deputy head of the Sumy regional administration, stated that 56% of residents in border zones refuse to leave, with 32,000 civilians-including 604 children-still in place.
Elderly and children among abducted
Most of the 52 civilians taken from Hrabovske were elderly individuals who had ignored evacuation orders. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed that children were also among those captured.
"I'm surprised children were there. I can't understand why parents would expose them to such danger," Zelensky told reporters. "They clearly didn't expect Russian forces to abduct them."
Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine's human rights ombudsman, condemned the abductions as a violation of international humanitarian law, stating the civilians were held in "improper conditions" before being forcibly deported.
Village demographics and prior evacuations
Hrabovske had a pre-war population of around 700, most of whom had already been evacuated before the raid. The remaining residents, predominantly elderly, chose to stay despite official warnings.
"It was a smash-and-grab operation," Trehubov said. "They rounded people up quickly and removed them just as fast. This is unprecedented-we've never seen raids like this before."
