Invaders abduct pension fund official in Kherson region, seeking residents’ personal data

In Kherson region, the Russian forces have abducted Serhiy Barchuk, the deputy head of the Pension Fund’s local office. They are also holding his family hostage.

That’s according to Barchuk's sister, Nadiia Dehtiarenko, who reported this on Facebook, as seen by Ukrinform.

"My family is being held hostage. My brother Serhiy Barchuk, deputy head of the Kherson region’s Pension Fund, has been securing valuable personal data of our citizens since the onset of the occupation. At the request of his management, he hid in his home the computers, property of the Pension Fund of Ukraine," the report reads.

The woman noted that, after the invaders captured her brother, his relatives and a friend took the computers to a safer location.

Later, they have all been taken hostage by the Russian forces. They are held in inhumane conditions, the woman stressed, adding that they are banned from contacting anyone. Any requests are met with threats, Nadiia Dehtiarenko.

As reported, on July 18, the Russian military raided Serhiy Barchuk’s home in Kherson and took the official away. His whereabouts remain unknown.

In Kherson region, the invaders have been terrorizing the local population intensively. On May 30, the access to the Ukrainian internet and mobile communications services was cut off for the locals. The Russians have been blocking evacuation corridors and abducting civilians.