Ukrainian village mayor 'executed and buried in shallow grave along with husband and son'

4 April 2022, 15:43 | Updated: 4 April 2022, 15:47

The mayor of a village in Ukraine was kidnapped and executed by Russian troops along with her husband and son.

The bodies of Olha Sukhenko, her husband Igor and their son, Alexander, were found in a shallow grave behind buildings housing Russian soldiers.

They had been thrown into a pit in woodland outside the village of Motyzhyn, 30 miles west of Kyiv, after being shot at close range, according to reports.

Shocking photos appear to show them half-buried in sand.

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They were reportedly taken captive on March 23 after refusing to collaborate with Russian forces.

Ms Sukhenko's body is said to have shown signs of torture, with broken arms and fingers. Her husband reportedly had his hands behind his back and a piece of plastic wrapped around his eyes like a blindfold.

Ukrainian deputy prime minister Iryna Vereshchuk confirmed the mayor was killed while being held by enemy soldiers.

Anton Herashchenko, an adviser to the Ukrainian interior ministry, told Reuters: "They tortured and murdered the whole family of the village head.

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"The occupiers suspected they were collaborating with our military, giving us locations of where to target our artillery. These scum tortured, slaughtered and killed the whole family."

Ukrainian forces have been moving into areas around Kyiv as Russian troops withdraw, leading to the revelation that hundreds of civilians have been killed and sparking widespread international outrage.

Ukraine said the bodies of 410 civilians have been found in Kyiv-area towns that have recently been retaken.

Dead civilians have been found on the streets of the town of Bucha and the Kyiv suburb of Irpin.

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In Bucha, north-west of Kyiv, Ukrainian soldiers used cables to drag bodies off a street - from a distance due to fears they may be booby-trapped - as Russian troops focus attacks on other parts of Ukraine.

Europe must stop its hefty payments to Russia for its oil following the shocking revelations, an adviser to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier told LBC.

Speaking to LBC's Nick Ferrari at Breakfast on Monday, economic adviser Oleg Ustenko called for European countries to stop sending massive payments for Russian gas in response.

He said: "You guys are sending in Europe - you continue to send £1bn US dollars for Russian oil daily, daily, and then you're just wondering why the war has not stopped yet.

"Please, please stop immediately. We know for sure that people of these countries are on our side - it's not the time to tolerate those politicians who are still thinking they have enough time to discuss to make the policy decision… we already are sick and tired of that."