Ukraine mayor killed: Olga Sukhenko from Motyzhyn reportedly executed by Russian troops

A mayor in a Ukrainian village was kidnapped and executed along with her husband and son, according to reports.

The bodies of all three were found in a pit in the village.

Olga Sukhenko her husband Igor and their son Alexander were reportedly kidnapped on 23 March from the village of Motyzhyn.

Their bodies were found on Saturday in a shallow grave behind houses the Russian forces had been using for barracks the Sun reports.

It comes after Russia said it would “fundamentally cut back” its operations around Kyiv and Chernihiv in order to “increase mutual trust.”

Ukraine said on 2 April that the Kyiv region had been liberated from Russian forces.

What happened to the mayor of Motyzhyn?

The Sun reported that neighbours said Russian troops occupying the village which is 30 miles west of Kyiv, tried to win the support of local officials and butchered them when they refused to collaborate.

The body of another man was also found, though he has not been identified.

Ukrainian news site Ukrinform quotes Kyiv Regional Council Deputy Head Tetiana Semenova saying Russian forces had wanted to take Olga only but her hsband said he would go with her.

She said: “After six hours, they also took her son away. Twenty more residents of Motyzhyn are being held captive.”

The Mission of Ukraine in NATO tweeted: “The bodies of village mayor Olga Sukhenko, her husband & son, and a man believed to be a serviceman, were found in a pit in #Motyzhyn.”

What happened in Bucha?

Russia faced a fresh wave of condemnation on Monday after evidence emerged of what appeared to be deliberate killings of civilians in Ukraine.

Ukrainian officials said the bodies of 410 civilians were found in towns around the capital, Kyiv, recaptured from Russian forces in recent days.

In Bucha, northwest of the capital, Associated Press journalists saw 21 bodies. One group of nine, all in civilian clothes, were scattered around a site which residents said Russian troops used as a base. They appeared to have been shot at close range. At least two had their hands tied behind their backs.

Mass graves have been discovered in the city.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of genocide and said in a video address: “Concentrated evil has come to our land.”

He went on to say: “I want every mother of every Russian soldier to see the bodies of the killed people in Bucha, in Irpin, in Hostomel.”

While Boris Johnson said on Twitter: “Russia’s despicable attacks against innocent civilians in Irpin and Bucha are yet more evidence that Putin and his army are committing war crimes in Ukraine.”

Some western leaders called for further sanctions in response to the alleged atrocities, even as Moscow continued to press its offensive in the country’s east.

Germany’s defence minister suggested the European Union should discuss a ban on Russian gas imports, though more senior officials indicated an immediate boycott was not possible — a sign that leaders could struggle in the short term to ramp up already severe sanctions on Russia.

Support people fleeing the devastating conflict in Ukraine: donate to the DEC appeal

Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) charities and their local partners are in Ukraine and in neighbouring countries providing food, water, shelter and medical assistance. Learn more and donate what you can today