Russian-backed militants took eight Ukrainian servicemen prisoner without a fight on the morning of May 22 in theDonbas war zone according to the Ukrainian military.
The military said the eight were riding in a truck in the conflict zone close to the town of Novotroitske, some 30 kilometers southwest of the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk.
The truck “went off route and traveled into the temporarily occupied territory,” where the servicemen were detained by Russian-backed militants.
The map showing the approximate location of the contact line near the town of Novotroitske in Donbas. (Google Maps)
The incident is one of the worst developments to befall Ukrainian troops in Donbas in many months.
Since the beginning of 2019, a number of Ukrainian troops have been captured in combat or while absent without leave.
According to Ukraine’s General Staff of the Armed Forces, over 40 Ukrainian soldiers and officers are being held as prisoners of war.
“The Joint Forces command is taking all possible actions to find out the servicemen’s whereabouts and bring them back,” the military said, adding that the military prosecutor’s office had initiated an inquiry into the incident.
