Fighting continues in Hrabovske, Sumy region, after Russia seizes 52 Ukrainian hostages

Viktor Trehubov, head of the communications department of the Joint Forces Grouping, stated this, as cited by Ukrinform.

According to him, in Hrabovske, from which Russians previously illegally deported 52 Ukrainians, the fighting is border-related in nature.

"As of now, the fighting continues. Russian forces are trying to hold onto the southern outskirts of the village. It must be understood that we're talking about a very small area: the entire village covers just 4 square kilometers, and it is essentially located right on the border," Trehubov said.

He noted that Russian forces have advanced about one kilometer from their state border. At the same time, the distances in this area do not allow for the creation of a classic line of demarcation, since "it is impossible to position Ukrainian troops between the Russians and the village, because there is simply no space between them."

The head of the communications department also commented on the removal of Ukrainians from Hrabovske, stating that Russian forces took advantage of the situation.

"What is troubling and surprising is that a situation has emerged in which the Russians have essentially taken hostages. Before the war, there were about 700 residents in the village, but now fewer than a hundred remained, mostly elderly people," Trehubov emphasized.

He added that Moscow had indicated Belgorod as a possible destination for the Ukrainian citizens removed from the village, but this information has not yet been verified.

"The task of Ukrainian forces is to eliminate the Russian presence in the settlement, not to rescue hostages already on Russian territory," Trehubov stressed.

What preceded this

On Saturday, December 20, Russian forces deported approximately 50 residents of the village of Hrabovske in the Sumy region to Russia.

On December 21, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, appealed to Russian ombudswoman Tatyana Moskalkova requesting information about the whereabouts of the illegally deported Ukrainians from the Sumy region and assistance in facilitating their prompt return to Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that the village in Sumy region from which Russian forces removed Ukrainians is located partially in Ukraine and partially in the Russian Federation. According to him, children also lived there.