Ukrainian military gassed civilians in Sudzha district, set fire to their homes — witness

TASS · 🇷🇺 public Russia · Jun 05, 2025 · 261 words

headphones Listen to the eFinder podcast briefing

Generate a natural audio summary of this story

Daily briefing

What to know about Conflict Narrative/Victimhood

The article reports testimony from Yelena Drugova regarding alleged violence committed by Ukrainian soldiers during an incursion into Novoivanovka, a village in the Kursk Region. Drugova recounted being gassed and attacked while hiding in a basement, and described the subsequent danger and casualties. She stated she was finally evacuated from the village on December 19.

Propaganda risk 30%

Claims checked 8

Techniques found 2

Topics 1

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center67%

Right33%

3 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

During the occupation of Novoivanovka, a village in the Sudzha district of the Kursk Region, Ukrainian soldiers committed acts of violence against local residents, including arson and the use of chemical agents.

Why it matters

Yelena Drugova, a resident who sought refuge in a basement during the incursion, provided testimony at an international online teleconference titled Liberation of the Kursk Region.

Common ground

on October 21, 2024, a tank arrived, accompanied by a heavy drone overhead.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Appeal to Anger: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Conflict Narrative/Victimhood story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that She was unable to evacuate earlier due to injuries sustained in Ukrainian attacks - specifically, bullet wounds?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://tass.com/society/1969435

analyticsAnalysis

30%

Propaganda Score

confidence: 90%

Minor concerns. Some persuasive language detected, but largely factual.

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Appeal to Anger 70% confidence

Provoking outrage to bypass rational evaluation of an argument.

Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to anger helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 8 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 7

check_circle Corroborated 1

info

Claim 1: “She was unable to evacuate earlier due to injuries sustained in Ukrainian attacks - specifically, bullet wounds.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The web search results mention that Drugova was unable to evacuate earlier due to injuries sustained in Ukrainian attacks, specifically mentioning bullet wounds. This detail is present in multiple snippets, but it is presented as part of a single narrative thread without independent corroboration from a second source.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Drugova explained that these events unfolded after the Russian army entered the settlement. She was unable to evacuate earlier due to injuries sustained in Ukrainian attacks - specifically, bullet wou…
https://tass.com/society/1969435

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Yelena Drugova recalled that after being wounded, she attempted to crawl toward a nearby house but was unable to reach it.During the occupation of the Kursk Region's Sudzhansky district, Ukrainian sol…
https://tass.com/society/1969451

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Earlier this week Ukraine also targeted the Primorsk port on the Baltic Sea. Kyiv has been launching regular attacks on Russian energy sites, targeting refineries, ports and tankers with drones.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1eql309n12o

info

Claim 2: “During the occupation of Novoivanovka, a village in the Sudzha district of the Kursk Region, Ukrainian soldiers committed acts of violence against local residents, including arson and the use of chemical agents.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The web search results mention allegations of war crimes in the region involving Ukrainian forces (e.g., 'Ukrainian military gassed civilians in Sudzha district, set fire to...'), but no two or more independent sources confirm the specific details (arson AND chemical agents) in Novoivanovka. The evidence is heavily reliant on reports detailing allegations from one side.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — On 6 August 2024, during the Russo-Ukrainian war, the Armed Forces of Ukraine launched an incursion into Russia's Kursk Oblast and clashed with the Russian Armed Forces and Russian border guard. A sta…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kursk_campaign

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sudzhansky District (Russian: Суджанский райо́н) is an administrative and municipal district (raion), one of the twenty-eight in Kursk Oblast, Russia. Its administrative center is the town of Sudzha. …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudzhansky_District

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — This timeline of the Russo-Ukrainian war covers the period from 1 January to 31 May 2025.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_Russo-Ukrainia…

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 3: “She recounted, "Around 1 a.m. on October 21, 2024, a tank arrived, accompanied by a heavy drone overhead. They began to gas us and opened fire on the nearby houses. They were aware of our presence - seven civilians hiding there. Fires erupted, and explosions shook the area. Those who managed to escape grabbed their crutches and bags and fled."”

SINGLE SOURCE

The specific details regarding the time (1 a.m. on October 21, 2024), the sequence of events (tank, drone, gas, fire, explosions), and the presence of seven civilians are detailed in the web search results, but these specific claims are not corroborated by a second independent source. The evidence is drawn from reports detailing the testimony.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — This timeline of the Russo-Ukrainian war covers the period from 1 August to 31 December 2024.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_Russo-Ukrainia…

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Novoivanovka (also, Novaya Ivanovka) is a village and municipality in the Gadabay Rayon of Azerbaijan. It has a population of 1,665. Like nearby Novosaratovka and smaller Gorelsk (now Daşbulaq), it w…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novoivanovka

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 4: “I couldn’t be evacuated for a long time because of relentless drone attacks," she continued. "I was lying there with broken legs and arms, unable to move. FPV drones prevented any rescue attempts. Out of more than 40 people, only 20 survived - others were killed by drones or burned alive." Drugova was finally evacuated from the village on December 19.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The details about broken limbs, drone attacks preventing rescue, the casualty count (40 people, 20 survived), and the specific evacuation date (December 19) are presented across multiple search snippets, but they constitute a single, detailed testimony that lacks corroboration from a second independent source.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Two drones intercepted over Cyprus. A government spokesman posted on X that two more "unmanned aerial vehicles" heading for the British airbase Akrotiri had been intercepted. On Monday, sirens sounded…
https://unn.ua/en/news/qatar-halts-lng-production-after-iran…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Moscow has intensified its missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities and energy facilities over the summer as US-led efforts to reach a peace agreement faltered.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cderllgw84ro

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Not only did Yandex show me a long list of online pages using Zach King’s image, but it also told me who he is and other related images. For the sake of this analysis, I had to pick a famous person so…
https://swindlerbuster.com/ways-to-find-someone-with-only-pi…

info

Claim 5: “Drugova explained that these events unfolded after the Russian army entered the settlement.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The web search results attribute the timing of the events to Drugova, stating that she explained the events unfolded after the Russian army entered the settlement. This specific contextual claim is found in multiple search snippets, but no external source independently verifies this timeline relative to the Russian army's entry.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Drugov, feminine: Drugova is a Russian surname. Notable people with the surname include: Aleksey Drugov (born 1937) Soviet and Russian orientalist, expert in Indonesia Vasily Drugov (1923–2011) Sovie…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drugov

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ivo Gregurević (pronounced [ivo gr̩egur̩eʋitɕ]; 7 October 1952 – 1 January 2019) was a Croatian film, theatre and television actor. Throughout over a quarter of a century, Gregurević played rural bull…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivo_Gregurević

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sergey Alexandrovich Chubraev (Russian: Сергей Александрович Чубраев; born May 18, 1972, Leningrad, USSR) is a Russian collector, cultural expert, and curator of the musical and artistic archive of th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergey_Chubraev

+ 3 more evidence sources

check_circle

Claim 6: “Yelena Drugova, a resident who sought refuge in a basement during the incursion, provided testimony at an international online teleconference titled Liberation of the Kursk Region.”

CORROBORATED

Two separate web search results confirm the existence of an international teleconference titled 'Liberation of Kursk Region' where testimonies were given regarding events in the area.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — On 6 August 2024, during the Russo-Ukrainian War, the Armed Forces of Ukraine launched an offensive into Russia's Kursk Oblast, occupying parts of the region. It was the first time since World War II …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_occupation_of_Kursk_…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Last week, an international teleconference entitled “Liberation of Kursk Region” was held, organized by the Delegation of the Russian Federation to the Vienna Negotiations on Military Security and Arm…
https://southfront.press/witnesses-of-atrocities-committed-b…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on April 26 that all members of her family met the news of the liberation of the Kursk region from Ukrainian militants with tears of joy in th…
https://en.iz.ru/en/1877383/2025-04-26/zakharova-told-about-…

info

Claim 7: “Our soldiers pulled me out amid mortar and tank fire. They destroyed the tank and led me to a nearby basement.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The narrative that Russian soldiers pulled her out amid mortar and tank fire and led her to a basement is reported in the web search results, but this specific sequence of rescue actions is not corroborated by a second independent source.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The Soviet Union's efforts in tank design and production must be understood in the context of the experience of the Russian Civil War and the growth of Soviet industry. During the civil war, the use o…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanks_of_the_Soviet_Union

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — A Ukrainian front-line battalion filmed its drone-led rescue of an injured Russian soldier.The K-2 Battalion, which is part of the Ukrainian Army’s 54th Brig...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_Xlb-0JWwc

info

Claim 8: “Sadly, my father was caught in the fire and burned alive in the house," she said.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The statement regarding her father being burned alive is reported in the web search results, but no second independent source corroborates this specific personal tragedy.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Sadly, my father was caught in the fire and burned alive in the house," she said. She further described the prolonged period of danger following these events.
https://tass.com/society/1969435

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — My parents were told I'd burned to death in horrific house fire…I'd actually been KIDNAPPED and lived 25 minutes away Authorities dismissed the heartbroken parents - but a chance encounter proved thei…
https://www.the-sun.com/news/12745167/delimar-vera-back-from…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — As Syniehubov reported, 5 people died in the fire: a man with his wife; their three children aged 7 months, 7, and 4 years. "The fire was caused by a fuel leak, followed by the release of a dangerous …
https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/night-strikes-in-kharkiv-fam…

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.