Russia acknowledged the removal of 52 Ukrainians from Sumy region: their detention place named.

According to ТСН: The Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, spoke about the Ukrainians who disappeared after Russian troops captured the border village of Hrabovske in the Sumy region.

Who is on the list and where are they

The Ombudsman noted that Russia acknowledged the fact of removing 52 individuals and provided a list of their names. Among the removed, there are no children, which refutes previous concerns, as President Volodymyr Zelensky had warned earlier that the occupiers could capture minors. Currently, the Ukrainians are being held in one of the frontline regions of Russia, and Lubinets received confirmation that the people are alive.

“I even received photos and videos of communication with them about whether they have any complaints regarding their food, medicine, water, and living conditions,” the commissioner said.

“Evacuation” or abduction?

The Russian side calls this situation “evacuation” due to military actions that allegedly threatened the lives of civilians. The occupiers claim that the Ukrainians are in the status of civilians without any restrictions. However, Lubinets emphasizes that people effectively have no freedom of movement.

“Conditionally [there should be freedom], but as we see, there is none… Legally, it is not enough just for them to return; there is a procedure we are ready to physically take them back,” he explained.

How they will return people

The Ombudsman has already appealed to his Russian colleague Tatyana Moskalkova, demanding the urgent return of the removed citizens to Ukraine. Negotiations are ongoing, but in his opinion, they will not be easy.

Lubinets is confident that Moscow will try to negotiate.

“Russians do not take humanitarian steps. It is clear that there will be conditions laid out for Ukraine,” he concluded.

It should be noted that Russian military illegally detained about 50 peaceful residents of the village of Hrabovske and subsequently forcibly removed them to the territory of the Russian Federation. Ukraine demands the return of these people home.

This situation demonstrates how seriously human rights are deteriorating during military conflicts. Forcible removal of people, especially civilians, is a clear violation of international norms. Ukraine must continue to pressure international institutions to ensure the return of missing citizens, as their fate remains unknown. A complicated negotiation process continues, and Ukrainian society is watching this with hope for a positive outcome.