A Russian strike on the village of Khotin near Sumy killed two police officers and wounded another six, Ukraine’s National Police reported on Feb. 27.
Settlements in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy Oblast are regularly subjected to Russian attacks due to their proximity to the border with Russia.
The strike took place when a group of investigators was inspecting the scene of an earlier Russian attack on the village that happened a day before, according to the National Police.
The bodies of two police officers were reportedly retrieved from the rubble, while six other officers were hospitalized following the attack.
“Police officers do not leave civilians even in the hottest spots. Constantly risking their lives, remaining faithful to the Oath. And today's tragedy proves that these are not just words,” Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on Telegram.
Law enforcement officers and first responders are regularly targeted by Russian attacks while recording war crimes and assisting civilians.
The State Emergency Service's spokesman, Oleksandr Khorunzhyi, said on Aug. 8, 2023, that 78 Ukrainian first responders had been killed in Russian attacks while doing their job since the beginning of the all-out war.
Igor Kossov
