At least two Russian soldiers have been killed and some 28 sickened by poisoned food provided by Ukrainian civilians, according to a report by government officials.
The two killed reportedly were members of the 3rd Motor Rifle Division of the Russian Federation. They died immediately after eating stuffed buns or small pies served by residents of Izium, a town about 80 miles southeast of Kharkiv, according to an announcement posted to Facebook Saturday by the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine.
The soldiers who became ill were being treated at a local hospital, according to the post.
The deaths and illnesses could not be independently confirmed. There was no information about what poison may have been used.
“Ukrainians resist the occupiers by all available means,” said the post in a translation provided by the U.K.‘s The Independent. “According to available information, local residents of the Izium district ‘treated’ Russians from the 3rd Motorized Rifle Division of the Russian Federation with poisoned pies.”
Some 500 Russian troops have also become ill from “alcohol poisoning” of “unknown origin,” apparently in other areas, according to officials.
Ukrainian civilians have resisted Russian forces since the country first invaded a month ago. At the start of the war, some were seen in photographs attempting to block Russian tanks. Many more have volunteered to take up arms in the war.