Law enforcement authorities in Russia on Friday accused Ukrainian troops of killing 22 civilians in an occupied village of the Kursk region, including eight women who were allegedly raped before being executed.
Ukraine has controlled dozens of towns and villages in the Kursk border region of southwestern Russia since launching a surprise offensive in August. It says around 2,000 Russian civilians still live in areas its armed forces occupy.
Russia's Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said earlier this month that it was investigating the killing of "at least seven civilians" in the village of Russkoye Porechnoye, around 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
On Friday, investigators said they were now investigating the killing of 22 residents between September and November.
Among the victims, whose bodies were said to have been found in the basements of several homes, were eight women who were allegedly raped before being killed, according to the Investigative Committee.
Investigators blamed five Ukrainian soldiers for the killings and said one of them, Yevgeny Fabrisenko, was arrested during the fighting in the Kursk region. The committee released a video of the interrogation of a man identified as Fabrisenko, who gave a confession.
AFP could not immediately verify the claims, and Ukraine has not responded.
Moscow and Kyiv have accused each other of killing civilians since the Kremlin launched the full-scale invasion in February 2022.
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