FAKE: 27 people were killed during interrogations in Sumy on suspicion of ties to Russia

Russian news outlets are spreading information that 27 people were killed during interrogations in Sumy, and that 130 people were tortured due to suspected ties to Russia. According to the authors of the post, law enforcement opened 56 criminal cases for “collaborative actions and supporting the aggressor” against the relatives of the detainees, who allegedly began complaining to the Regional Military Administration, the President’s Office, and the Prosecutor’s Office. This supposedly happened after President Volodymyr Zelenskyi’s visit to Sumy, and an order from the Security Service of Ukraine to carry out a “clean-up” of pro-Russian elements in the city and region.

However, this is a fake. The Security Service of Ukraine, the State Bureau of Investigations, the Prosecutor’s Office, the National Police of Sumy, and the Sumy Regional Military Administration have not reported any arrests or the opening of 56 criminal cases. There have been no media reports or statements from victims regarding the torture of Sumy residents.

On October 4, 2024, President Volodymyr Zelenskyi indeed visited a medical facility in Sumy where wounded soldiers are treated. He thanked them for their service and awarded them orders and medals. On October 5, the Security Service of Ukraine reported the start of security measures in Sumy aimed at preventing and neutralizing reconnaissance and sabotage activities and enhancing the safety of citizens. The operation was to involve the National Police, the Military Law Enforcement Service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), and the National Guard.

However, none of these agencies reported any mass detentions of locals or the announcement of 56 suspects. Between October 4 and 20 (the day the propagandist post was published), the Security Service of Ukraine detained two fire correctors in Sumy, not dozens of people. These individuals had committed actual crimes — they were involved in directing Russian airstrikes on Ukraine’s defense forces in Donetsk and Sumy regions.

The Main Department of the National Police of Sumy reported that during the same period, a man was detained for setting fire to a military vehicle on commission. He was charged with obstructing the legal activities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and other military formations during a special period, as well as intentionally destroying property by arson. He faces up to 8 years in prison.

The Military Law Enforcement Service in the AFU, as well as the National Guard and the State Bureau of Investigations, did not report any detentions of collaborators in Sumy or the region shortly before or during Zelenskyi’s visit. On October 15, the Sumy Regional Prosecutor’s Office announced the filing of charges against two Crimean men who switched sides and fought against Ukraine, but they did not mention the opening of 56 cases related to collaboration with Russia.

The post claims that the relatives of detainees contacted the Sumy Regional Administration. However, the Sumy Administration’s website and social media pages do not report any such arrests by law enforcement, and there are no corresponding complaints in the comments under their posts.

Moreover, the Ukrainian Criminal Code does not have a section called “Collaborative actions and supporting the aggressor” as stated in the post. Instead, there is an article called “Collaborative activities”. The propagandists claim that 130 citizens were tortured in Sumy, and that their relatives are allegedly aware of this. If this information were true, it is highly likely that media outlets or the detainees and their relatives would have shared it on social media. However, reliable national and regional media did not report on the alleged killings and torture in Sumy. This “news” was only spread by Russian propaganda resources, and none of them cited a source for the information.

The post also claims that Head of Security Service of Ukraine Maliuk issued an order for all those arrested near military sites within one hour after a Russian attack to be detained for 15 days and interrogated. However, there is no documentary evidence to support this claim.