Ukraine mayor, 4 others found dead with hands tied

SENSITIVE MATERIAL. THIS IMAGE MAY OFFEND OR DISTURB. Bodies of civilians, who according to residents were killed by Russian army soldiers, lie in the street, amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in Bucha, in Kyiv region, Ukraine April 2, 2022. Picture taken April 2, 2022. REUTERS

MOTYZHYN — Ukrainian authorities have found the bodies of five civilians with their hands tied in a village west of Kiev, 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.

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 kilometres north of Motyzhyn, the bodies of dead civilians have been found scattered on the streets and in mass graves sparking allegations of war crimes.

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