Ukrainian ombudsman reveals fate of 52 civilians abducted from Hrabovske

Russian authorities have provided a list of civilians taken from the village of Hrabovske in Ukraine’s Sumy region and informed where they are being held and under what conditions.

Ukraine’s Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets said this in an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Ukrinform reports.

“They sent me photos and videos of their communication with these people, asking whether they had any complaints about food, medicines, water, or living conditions. There are 52 people; there are no children among them,” Lubinets said.

According to him, negotiations are currently underway to return these people to Ukrainian territory.

“At present, they are in one of the frontline regions of the Russian Federation. They are being treated as civilians. We have received an official response stating that there are no restrictions imposed on them,” the ombudsman said.

Lubinets has appealed to Russia’s Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova, urging that these citizens be returned to Ukraine.

The ombudsman believes that Russia will set certain conditions for their return.

As reported by Ukrinform, due to the rapid advance of Russian forces in the Sumy region, Ukrainian defenders withdrew from several positions in the area of Hrabovske. Stabilization measures and operations to detect and eliminate enemy personnel are currently underway.

Ukraine’s Armed Forces Communications Directorate confirmed that after the capture of Hrabovske, more than 50 civilians were forcibly taken to Russian territory. These are mainly elderly men and women who had previously refused evacuation deeper into Ukraine.