Russian troops have taken 19 residents of the border village of Sopych in the Esman community of Sumy region to russia. The residents had previously refused to evacuate to safer areas of Ukraine. They appeared on March 5 in a report aired by the russian propaganda TV channel Vesti.

Previously, 303 people lived in Sopych, including 13 children under the age of 14. Over time, residents gradually left the border area, while 19 people signed statements refusing evacuation and remained in their homes despite the risks. Contact with them was later lost.

The head of the Esman community, Serhiy Minakov, confirmed to Suspilne that the video indeed showed residents of Sopych.

“The last information we had was that there were 19 people in Sopych. They all refused to be evacuated. And, unfortunately, we have lost contact with them,” he said.

The report claims the people were “evacuated” to a temporary accommodation center in russia’s Bryansk region and that each of them wants to remain in Russia and obtain russian citizenship.

Ukraine’s Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets has already responded to the situation and appealed to Russian Ombudsman Tatyana Moskalkova.

“Such actions are a clear violation of international humanitarian law — the forced deportation of civilians and a gross disregard for the laws and customs of war. I immediately appealed to the Ombudsman of the russian federation demanding that an urgent visit be organized to the citizens of Ukraine, that I be informed about their health and the conditions they are being held in, and most importantly, that their prompt return home be ensured,” he said.

This is not the first such case in Sumy region. In December 2025, russians abducted about fifty residents of the village of Hrabovske in the Krasnopil community.

The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court classifies deportation or forcible transfer of population as war crimes, as well as crimes against humanity if committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack against the civilian population.

The Criminal Code of Ukraine (Article 438) provides for liability for violations of the laws and customs of war, including unlawful deportations or other serious violations of international humanitarian law against civilians.

Temporary evacuation of civilians is allowed if it is necessary for their safety or due to particularly compelling military reasons, but subject to the following conditions: return as soon as possible, proper conditions of detention, prohibition of dispersal across the territory of the occupying power, prohibition of coercion and pressure.

If the aggressor state calls such actions evacuation, but they are carried out under duress, without the right of return, or in filtration camps, this is considered deportation/forced displacement and is a war crime.