By Abigail Philip David
On Friday, Russia accused Ukrainian forces of killing 22 civilians in a Russian-occupied village, including eight women who were allegedly raped before being executed.
Ukraine has controlled several border settlements in the Kursk region of western Russia since launching a surprise offensive in August, with about 2,000 civilians reported to still live in these areas. However, Russia has since retaken several towns.
Russia’s Investigative Committee initially reported on January 19 that it was investigating the deaths of “at least seven civilians” in the village of Russkoye Porechnoye, located around 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the Ukrainian border. On Friday, it updated the investigation, stating that 22 residents had been killed between September and November.
The bodies of the victims were found in the basements of several homes, including the eight women, who the committee claims were raped before being murdered.
AFP has not been able to independently verify these claims, and Ukraine has not yet responded to the accusations.
Russian investigators have blamed five Ukrainian soldiers for the killings, one of whom, identified as Yevgeny Fabrisenko, was reportedly arrested during fighting in the Kursk region. A video of Fabrisenko’s interrogation was released, in which he allegedly confesses to the crimes.
At a Friday briefing, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated, “First people were tortured, abused, then killed either by being shot or blown up.”
The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine has seen both sides accuse each other of killing civilians. Russia has faced allegations of mass killings in Bucha, a town near Kyiv, where AFP journalists have witnessed and photographed the bodies of Ukrainian civilians, some with their hands bound.
Moscow has denied the Bucha allegations, claiming the footage was staged — a claim that has been debunked by independent fact-checkers and media outlets, including AFP.
