Russian forces breach Sumy region border, forcibly deport civilians to Russia

This was reported to Ukrinform by the Main Directorate of Communications of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

“Russian forces, with superior numbers, crossed the state border of Ukraine near the village of Hrabovske, located on the border with Russia in Krasnopillia community of Sumy region. As a result of the enemy’s rapid advance, Ukrainian Defense Forces units withdrew from several positions in the Hrabovske area. In the border region, which falls under the responsibility of the Joint Forces Grouping, stabilization measures are ongoing. Measures are being taken to detect and destroy enemy personnel, and fire is being applied to the invaders,” the directorate said.

It was also confirmed that after the Russians seized the settlement, more than 50 Ukrainian civilians were forcibly taken to the territory of the Russian Federation. This primarily involved elderly men and women who had previously refused to evacuate deeper into Ukraine.

The General Staff emphasized that their refusal to evacuate within Ukraine does not legitimize the actions of invading forces in forcibly relocating Ukrainian civilians to Russia.

“Ukrainian law enforcement is conducting a pre-trial investigation in a criminal case regarding the violation of the laws and customs of war by Russian military personnel, namely, the unlawful deprivation of liberty and forced deportation of civilians,” the directorate noted. They added that the Armed Forces of Ukraine currently regard this event as a violation of Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits, regardless of motive, the forced individual or mass transfer or deportation of protected persons from occupied territory to the territory of the occupying power.

The General Staff once again urged residents of border areas to evacuate to safer regions and reminded that the number of war crimes recorded by law enforcement in Ukraine by Russian forces is approaching 200,000.

The Communications Directorate of the Armed Forces of Ukraine also noted that, due to the deteriorating security situation in Sumy region, local authorities have organized the evacuation of residents from border territorial communities. More than 30,000 people have already been evacuated, representing almost 84% of the population of the eight designated communities. About 16%, which is nearly 5,700 people, including 38 children, have refused evacuation.

As Ukrinform reported, over the past 24 hours, Russian forces carried out more than 20 attacks on nine settlements in six territorial communities of Sumy region.