Moscow accuses Kiev of executing civilians in Russian village

Moscow accused Ukrainian troops of killing 22 people in an occupied Russian village, including eight women who were allegedly raped before being executed.

Ukraine controls dozens of border towns in the Kursk region of western Russia since launching a surprise offensive in August and says about 2,000 civilians still live in areas it occupies.

Russia has now retaken several towns.

Russia's Investigative Committee had said on January 19 that it was investigating the killing of "at least seven civilians" in the village of Russkoye Porechnoye, about 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

On Friday, it said it was now investigating the killing of "22 residents" between September and November.

Among the victims, whose bodies were found in the basements of several homes, were eight women who were allegedly raped before being killed, the Investigative Committee said.

Investigators blame five Ukrainian soldiers for the killings and said one of them, Yevgeny Fabrisenko, was arrested during the fighting in the Kursk region.

The committee released a video of the interrogation of a man identified as Fabrisenko, who confessed.

AFP was not immediately able to verify the claims and there has been no official response from Ukraine.