MEAWW.COM / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

Olga Sukhenko: Ukrainian mayor killed and dumped in shallow grave with husband and son

Sukhenko, her husband Igor and son Alexander were reportedly abducted by Putin’s troops on March 23

A mayor of an Ukrainian village has reportedly been found dead alongside her husband and son after Russian troops allegedly killed them. The bodies of Olga Sukhenko and her husband Igor and son Alexander were reportedly discovered in a forest pit on Saturday, April 2, after they were abducted by Russia President Vladmir Putin’s soldiers on March 23.

The Sun reported neighbors as saying that while capturing Motyzhyn, 30 miles west of Kyiv, Russian troops tried to befriend local officials, however, when they refused their offer, they were killed. Along with those three bodies found in a shallow grave behind Russian soldiers’ houses they had used as makeshift barracks, a fourth body was also found. However, the identity of that person is not known yet.

READ MORE

What does neutral status for Ukraine mean? Here's what post-war future could look like

SHOCKING videos show Russians opening fire at unarmed civilians protesting in Ukraine

This comes as several reports surfaced that Russian troops were tying Ukrainians’ hands behind before shooting them dead. Ukraine's former professional boxer Wladimir Klitschko shared a graphic video on Twitter from Bucha, which has witnessed the death of at least 300 people, showing people “shot in the head with their hands tied behind their back”. He said, “This is not a special military operation. This is genocide.”

Earlier, in March, Klitschko had told the Daily Mirror, “Boxing is sport – this is war, and our people are dying. During this conversation with you, innocent women, children and civilians will be subjected to bombs, missiles and horrifying reality of war. People say this is the biggest fight of my life, and I agree – it’s so sad to realise how terrifying the war is,” before adding: “To isolate Russia from all sporting competition is not an act of aggression. We do this to stop the war, in the name of peace. I have nothing personal against the athletes, but I have a lot against the aggression of Russian leader Putin.”

Meanwhile, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russian forces of "mining all this territory”. He told US news channel CBS, “Houses are mined, equipment is mined, even the bodies of dead people. This is genocide. The elimination of the whole nation and the people. We are the citizens of Ukraine. We have more than 100 nationalities. This is about the destruction and extermination of all these nationalities.”

Though Russia has denied killing civilians, Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told Times Radio: “They were killing civilians while leaving - out of anger and just because they wanted to kill. We are still gathering bodies but the number has already gone into hundreds.”

Also, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson called out Moscow and said: “I will do everything in my power to starve Putin's war machine. No denial or disinformation from the Kremlin can hide what we all know to be the truth — Putin is desperate, his invasion is failing, and Ukraine’s resolve has never been stronger. We are stepping up our sanctions and military support, as well as bolstering our humanitarian support package to help those in need on the ground.”

He added: “The UK has been at the forefront of supporting the International Criminal Court’s investigation into atrocities committed in Ukraine. The Justice Secretary has authorised additional financial support and the deployment of specialist investigators — we will not rest until justice is served.”