At least two Russian soldiers died and nearly three dozen were taken to intensive care after eating poisoned pastries offered by Ukrainian villagers, Ukraine’s intelligence says.
Residents of a village near the town of Izyum reportedly "treated" the troops of Russia's 3rd Motor Rifle infantry division to the traditional "pirozhki", which resemble a Cornish pastry, laced with an unknown poison.
The village recently became an epicentre of fighting as it sits on the road between the separatist-held areas and Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv.
The Ukrainian military intelligence described the incident as an ingenious way to "offer resistance to the occupying troops by all possible means".
Two Russians reportedly died on spot, while 28 other men were taken to an intensive care unit, the Ukrainian military said.
Ukrainian officials did not say when the incident took place, but said that 500 further troops from the same division, which is based in the Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, are now in hospital due to a "severe alcohol poisoning of an unknown nature".
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Meanwhile, fresh reports from neighbouring Belarus testify to wide-scale looting by Russian troops.
An extraordinary video posted by one of Belarus’ best-known bloggers from the city of Mazyr, just north of the Ukrainian border, shows Russian troops desperately trying to ship the spoils of war back home.
The three-hour video, captured by a CCTV camera at a branch of a major shipping company, shows a dozen Russian soldiers bringing bags and boxes of goods for shipment.
One of the men is seen handling what appears to be two air conditioning units. Another is seen taking out two bottles of cognac and audio-speakers from his backpack.
The men kept the officer manager busy for hours as they packed bags and boxes full of loot, carefully measuring the dimensions with a measuring tape.
The insignia on the men's uniforms identified them as members of Russia's 56th Guards Air Assault Brigade, based in Crimea.
Anton Motolko, the Belarusian blogger who posted the video, said the CCTV was shown in real time on the company’s website on Saturday afternoon before the broadcast was cut off.
