Russians capture Ukrainian civilians during offensive in Kharkiv Oblast — prosecutor's office

The Russian troops put residents in the basement on May 11. Some of them managed to escape on May 13 and reach the volunteers. People are safe now.

The victims said that while they were in the basement, they heard Russian soldiers talking about the fact that civilians should be shot. People were also forced to provide medical aid to the wounded Russian soldiers.

"We ran away. They retreated a bit, and we escaped [...] This morning, a soldier came in and said: ‘We are leaving the same way we came’. The wounded were taken away, and we ran and escaped. There are still people there," said a local in a comment to public broadcaster Suspilne.

Those who managed to escape from the basement said that the Russian troops did not beat them, but did not let them out of the premises. A local woman assumes that they took pity on them, as she was bandaging the wounded soldier's legs.

The prosecutor's office noted that the Russian troops continue to forcibly detain some people in the basement.

The law enforcement officers started a pre-trial investigation over violation of the laws and customs of war (Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). Such actions of the Russian Federation are also a direct violation of the Convention on the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War.