On Monday, Russia announced that it had taken control of the village of Hrabovske in Ukraine’s Sumy region, where Kyiv previously accused Moscow of forcibly relocating numerous residents during what was described as a “medieval raid” last month.

This seizure represents a significant development in the northeastern area, which had largely avoided combat following Ukraine’s successful counteroffensive in 2022.

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed on social media that its forces had “secured control of the village.”

Kyiv had previously charged Russia with the unlawful detention of around 50 Hrabovske residents.

The Ukrainian human rights commissioner reported that these individuals were held in poor conditions without communication before being “forcibly taken to the territory of the Russian Federation.”

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha likened the incident to “medieval raids” and called for their return.

Amid ongoing diplomatic efforts to resolve the nearly four-year-long conflict, Russia is gradually but consistently making territorial gains in eastern Ukraine.

Although Sumy is not one of the five regions that Moscow claims to have annexed, Russian officials have stated that they are securing territory to establish a “buffer zone” along their border.

According to an analysis by AFP, Russia’s territorial advancements in Ukraine in 2025 were the most significant since the initial year of its offensive.