Russian forces have crossed the border with Ukraine through the northeastern Sumy region and taken about 50 residents of a Ukrainian border village to Russia, Ukrainian media reported, quoted by Reuters, BTA reported.
The Ukrainian public television "Suspilne" and the news website "Ukrainska Pravda" reported that Russian forces entered Ukrainian territory on Saturday evening in the area of the village of Grabovske and took away local residents, most of whom are elderly.
The information has not yet been confirmed by independent sources. Russia has not commented on the case, Reuters notes.
In recent months, Russian forces have established control over several villages in Sumy region, and a number of settlements in the region have come under fire.
The governor of Sumy region, Oleg Grigorov, said on Telegram that authorities had begun evacuating residents of border villages who had previously refused to be relocated. He did not specify which settlements were affected, but urged people in border areas to agree to the evacuation.