The body of a pregnant woman who was allegedly killed by a Ukrainian soldier in Russia’s Kursk Region is stuck in a morgue in the city of Sudzha due to ongoing hostilities, her husband has told the ‘Beware, News’ Telegram channel.
The outlet reported on Monday that 30-year-old Artem Kuznetsov is unable to bury his wife Nina, who was killed during the Ukrainian cross-border attack into Russia on August 6.
Kuznetsov told the news outlet that he, his pregnant wife, mother-in-law, and young son were trying to flee Sudzha when the hostilities broke out. While they were driving out of the town, a Ukrainian soldier stepped out onto the road and opened fire on their cars, killing Nina and injuring their son, he claimed.
“I saw his helmet and blue tape. He first shot at my car but missed me. He riddled the whole car with bullets. Then he opened fire on my wife’s car. The injuries were fatal,” the bereaved husband said.
Nina’s body is still in the Sudzha district hospital morgue, where there is reportedly no electricity. Her mother-in-law Lyudmila has said she fears that the body could “just disappear there.”
“Help us get her out of there so we can bury her. Please help! There is no electricity, she will just disappear there! She was pregnant,” Lyudmila told reporters, calling on Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop the “inhuman creatures” who are attacking villages in Kursk Region.
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) previously released an interview with a captured Ukrainian soldier who allegedly took part in Kiev’s cross-border operation, in which he said he had been ordered by his commanders to shoot civilians during the attack.
Ukraine launched a large-scale raid on Kursk Region last Tuesday. The operation reportedly involved as many as 10,000 troops drawn from six Ukrainian frontline brigades, according to Western media.
The assault has reportedly proven to be costly for Ukraine’s forces, with Russia’s Defense Ministry estimating that Kiev has lost over 1,600 troops and over 100 pieces of equipment, including over 30 tanks and other Western-supplied heavy weapons.
President Putin has condemned the incursion and accused Ukrainian forces of “indiscriminate strikes on civilians.” The Russian leader warned that any peace talks with Ukraine would be impossible as long as such actions continue.