Ukraine village mayor, 4 others found dead with hands tied behind their backs

Olga Sukhenko, her husband and their son were abducted by Russian troops, police say; residents say they refused to collaborate with invading forces; 2 other men also killed

By AFP 5 April 2022, 9:47 am

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Motyzhyn Mayor Olga Sukhenko (left), her son Alexander and her husband Igor. (screenshot)

MOTYZHYN, Ukraine — Ukrainian authorities have found the bodies of five civilians with their hands tied in a village west of Kyiv, including those of the mayor, her husband and son.

Police showed AFP journalists four bodies, including that of the mayor, half buried in a grave in a pine forest bordering her house in Motyzhyn.

A fifth body was found in a little well in the garden.

The dead, including two men not part of the mayor’s family, had their hands tied behind their backs.

The mayor, Olga Sukhenko aged 50, her husband and their son, were abducted by Russian troops on March 24, police said.

Residents said the mayor and her husband had refused to collaborate with the invading Russian forces.

Journalists stand on the side of a mass grave of village residents and the village head and family, in the village of Motyzhyn, close to Kyiv, Ukraine, April 4, 2022 (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

On March 11, the mayor of Melitopol in southern Ukraine was abducted by Russian troops but released after a few days.

In Bucha, a town located about 30 kilometers north of Motyzhyn, the bodies of dead civilians have been found scattered on the streets and in mass graves sparking allegations of war crimes.