Iryna Nesterova11:40, 21.12.25

As a result of the enemy offensive, the Defense Forces withdrew from several positions in the Grabovsky area, Lykhova said.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed that Russian military personnel crossed the state border of Ukraine near the village of Grabovske in Sumy region and took away more than 50 civilians. This is reported by  Ukrainska Pravda , citing a comment by Dmytro Lykhovii, an officer of the Main Communications Department of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and Ukrinform .

“Russian troops crossed the state border of Ukraine with superior forces near the village of Grabovske, located on the border with the Russian Federation in the Krasnopil community of Sumy region. As a result of the enemy’s rapid offensive, units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine withdrew from several positions in the Grabovske area. Stabilization actions are ongoing in the border region, which falls within the area of ​​responsibility of the Joint Forces Group. Measures are being taken to identify and destroy enemy manpower. Fire damage is being inflicted on the occupiers,” the department reported.

Lykhoviy explained that after the Russians captured the settlement, more than 50 civilian residents – mostly older men and women – were forcibly taken to the territory of the Russian Federation. Almost all of them had previously refused to evacuate deep into Ukrainian territory, the representative of the Armed Forces of Ukraine emphasized.

The department emphasized that their refusal to evacuate does not legalize the actions of the occupiers to forcibly relocate Ukrainian civilians to the territory of the Russian Federation.Read also:

Law enforcement is currently investigating the forced deportation of civilians, the publication writes. The Armed Forces of Ukraine consider this a violation of the Geneva Convention.

The officer called on residents of the border areas of Sumy region to evacuate. He added that the regional authorities have already evacuated more than 30,000 people, but almost 5,700 more people, including 38 children, did not agree.

(C)UNIAN 2025