Two Russian soldiers have died and 28 are seriously ill after being given poisoned pastries by Ukrainian civilians, Ukraine’s intelligence agency has claimed.
The troops from Russia’s 3rd Motor Rifle Division died immediately after eating the food in Izium, Kharkiv, the country’s Main Directorate of Intelligence announced in a Facebook post on Saturday.
A further 28 soldiers are in intensive care following the poisoning, while about 500 more are in hospital suffering from heavy alcohol poisoning, according to the post.
Officials claimed Russia was writing the troops off as “non-combat losses”.
The agency said in the post: “Ukrainians resist the occupiers by all available means.
“According to available information, local residents of the Izium district (Kharkiv region) ‘treated’ Russians from the 3rd Motor Rifle Division of the Russian Federation with poisoned pies.
“As a result, two occupiers died at once, another 28 were taken to the intensive care unit. Their current state is being clarified.
“About 500 more servicemen of the 3rd Motor Rifle Division of the Russian Federation are in hospitals due to severe alcohol poisoning of unknown origin.”