A talented footballer who “helped to the end” is among the civilians allegedly slaughtered by Russian forces in Ukraine amid growing reports of war crimes.
Oleksandr Sukhenko and his parents were reportedly “abducted” from their home before being found in a shallow grave just outside Motyzhyn, 31 miles west of Kiev.
The 25-year-old’s mother, Olha, was the village leader and her husband, Igor, was also actively involved in community life through football.
The tomb, discovered in a forest after the village was recaptured by Ukrainian forces, contained the bodies of about 30 civilians, according to a regional football organization.
In a statement on Facebook, Kyiv-Svyatoshinsky Football described the family as “exemplary” and said: “They desperately defended their village when the time of trouble came and they died like heroes.”
Igor was described as a “knowledgeable businessman” and co-chair of the Kolos rural football team, which worked to develop young players.
The post goes on to say that Oleksandr helped many people flee the village while under Russian occupation, whose withdrawal from populated areas on their way to Kyiv last week left behind evidence of horrific war crimes.
The family was “abducted” before her death, according to the organization.
Oleksandr Sukhenko was a trophy footballer before he came to help his fellow villagers (Image: FC Kudrivka / @ Kudrivka) Oleksandr Sukhenko is remembered for staying in his village until the end during the Russian occupation (Image: Facebook / @ boryspilTV)
Turning to his career as a player, he describes him as an attacker and winger who went from being a “rural footballer to a professional master”, winning many trophies during a career marked by “brilliant victories and beautiful goals”.
Oleksandr had played for the regional team FC Kudrivka, which helped share an appeal for information following the disappearance of himself and his parents on 23 March.
The star player leaves behind a sister, named on social media as Radchenko Olena Igorivna, who is at the center of a call for financial support.
Oleksandr Bruy, from the club’s press service, told Metro.co.uk: “Our club’s management and players sympathize with Oleksandr’s sister and all the relatives of the Sukhenko family.
“The actions of the Russian occupiers can not be justified, this is a real tragedy for Ukraine.
“We are doing everything we can to help find the guilty Russians and punish them.”
The club shared images of the forward and his parents under the dedication, “eternal memory and the kingdom of heaven”.
Oleksandr Sukhenko with his parents Olha and Igor (Image: Facebook / @ boryspilTV)
A family friend had made a desperate appeal for information about the whereabouts of the trio, saying they had been captured by Russian troops, who were also said to have stolen an Oleksandr phone and Toyota’s car.
Daria Belenitsyna wrote: “This is my second family, they helped people to the end, they transported medicines, groceries. “They took them from their own house.”
Vladimir Putin and Russia have been charged with a number of war crimes and atrocities, including executions, rape and systematic looting.
In Bucha, on the northern outskirts of Kiev, graphic videos and photos showed the bodies of people killed with their hands tied behind their backs.
The figures came after Russian forces withdrew from towns and villages around the capital, leading Ukraine to push for war crimes investigations.
Joe Biden today called for Putin to be brought to justice, saying “you saw what happened in Bucha” and calling the Russian president a “war criminal.”
The body of a Ukrainian football player who helped his village was found with those of his parents in a shallow grave (Image: Vadim Ghirda / AP)
The family is said to have been “tortured and killed” by the intruders, according to an adviser to the Ukrainian Interior Ministry who spoke to Reuters.
Anton Herashchenko said: “The occupiers suspected that they were collaborating with our army, giving us locations where we would target our artillery.
“These scum tortured, slaughtered and killed the whole family. They will be responsible for that. “
The bodies, which AP reporters said were blindfolded and blindfolded, were found as Ukrainian staff cleared the area on Saturday.
The victims are believed to have been shot at close range. A quarter body near the sand has not been identified.
Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Iryna Vereshchuk further confirmed that the village leader was killed while being held by Russian troops.
Oleksandr Sukhenko excelled for his football team that wants to help identify and punish those responsible for his death (Image: FC Kudrivka / @ Kudrivka) Oleksandr Sukhenko was a talented footballer (Image: FC Kudrivka / @ Kudrivka)
Mr. Herashchenko showed the news agency that their partially covered corpses were in the pit near a farm, which had almost been destroyed.
The photos showed two of the corpses lying uncovered on the ground and another in an open sewer pipe.
Reuters could not immediately confirm who was responsible for the killings.
Olha, 50, was the star of the village, which has about 1,010 inhabitants, which makes her the equivalent of mayor or council leader.
Oleksandr Sukhenko posing with a trophy (Image: FC Kudrivka / @ Kudrivka)
According to a Ukrainian news and media channel, she and her husband were arrested after a search of their home.
The Russian troops apparently promised Oleksandr that they would return alive, but “after some time” he was also arrested, TRS Boryspil said.
In a Facebook post, the channel said it was “tortured and killed by the Russians” before being dumped in a mass grave.
Moscow has denied that it committed war crimes and said reports of civilian killings were fabrications aimed at slandering Russia.
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