KEY POINTS

  • The bodies of Motyzhyn Mayor Olga Sukhenko and her family were found in a shallow grave in a forest
  • Russian soldiers allegedly killed the family because they were suspected of collaborating with Ukrainian authorities
  • Authorities did not immediately retrieve the bodies of the family for fear that they might be mined

Russian soldiers tortured and killed the mayor of a small Ukrainian town, along with her family, before dumping their bodies in a forest pit.

The bodies of Motyzhyn Mayor Olga Sukhenko, her husband, Ihor, and their son, Oleksandr, were found in a shallow grave located in a woodland near their town on Saturday, The Telegraph reported.

A fourth body in the pit has not been identified, but he was believed to have been a member of Ukraine's security forces, a report by CBS News said.

Sukhenko's body showed "signs of torture" and her arms and fingers had been broken, according to the mayor of the neighboring village of Kopyliv.

Russian troops kidnapped Sukhenko and Ihor on March 23 before they were "killed in captivity," Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Sunday.

The Russians suspected Sukhenko and her family were collaborating with the Ukrainian military by providing them with target locations for artillery, as per Ukrainian interior ministry adviser Anton Herashchenko.

"These scum tortured, slaughtered and killed the whole family. They will be responsible for this," the official said.

The bodies discovered in Motyzhyn have yet to be retrieved as they may be mined, according to Vadym Tokar, head of the village council in the neighboring Makarivm.

A similar scene was witnessed in the city of Bucha, where 280 people were found buried in mass graves.

"All these people were shot, killed, in the back of the head," Bucha Mayor Anatoly Fedoruk said.

At least 22 dead bodies also lay scattered throughout the city's streets, Fedoruk added.

It was not possible to collect the bodies due to fears that the Russians booby-trapped them, the mayor said.

Ukrainian authorities retook territory near the capital of Kyiv following Russia's retreat from the areas, which included Motyzhyn and Bucha.

Russia has since denied it was involved in the Bucha killings and dismissed images of dead bodies from the city as fraudulent, as per The Washington Post.

The country will present "empirical evidence" to a meeting of the United Nations Security Council Tuesday to prove its forces were not involved, France24 reported.

The United States and Europe were planning to impose new sanctions on Russia over the alleged civilian killings in Ukraine.

U.S. President Joe Biden called for a war crimes trial against his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.

Additionally, the U.S. will ask the United Nations General Assembly to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council.

A destroyed house is pictured near where the head of the village, her husband and son were shot and buried in a shallow grave, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, in the village of Motyzhyn, outside Kyiv, Ukraine, April 4, 2022.
A destroyed house is pictured near where the head of the village, her husband and son were shot and buried in a shallow grave, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, in the village of Motyzhyn, outside Kyiv, Ukraine, April 4, 2022. Reuters / MARKO DJURICA
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