“Looting Results In Shooting On The Spot,” Two Ukrainian Mayors Warn

Depleting food stocks added to the trauma of Ukrainians stranded in the war-torn country as Russia’s invasion stretches to a fourth day. People are looting supermarkets as their food and water supplies run out, and ATMs have no cash. In the attempt to deter mass lootings, mayors in two Ukrainian towns advised local law enforcement officers to shoot looters “on the spot,” according to RT News.

“I am warning everyone: the police, the National Guard, the territorial defense units – they all received orders not to detain, they can just shoot on the spot. There will be no looting in the city,“ Zhytomyr’s Mayor Sergey Sukhomlyn told citizens of the city in a short Facebook video on Sunday. 

Looting incidents have spiked across Ukraine since Russia began its invasion on Feb. 24. People are growing hungry as their food supplies run out and have no other option than raid supermarkets. The head of the Okhtyrka territorial community Pavel Kuzmenko issued a similar warning. 

“Looting results in shooting on the spot,” Kuzmenko said in a Facebook video. He also warned that store owners who price gouge would also be considered looters. 

Numerous videos surfaced on Twitter in the last 24 hours of what appears to be mass lootings at supermarkets. 

Citizens looting supermarket in Ukraine, Kyiv. pic.twitter.com/u2ILtuNdam

— YUVAL LESHEM MBA |CEO⁝R&D⁝CO.FOUNDER⁝HR DIRECTOR| (@YuvalLeshem) February 28, 2022

Looting in supermarket in Ukraine 😰 pic.twitter.com/ugLFS50ud1

— Gabriel Hébert-Mild™ ⓥ (@Gab_H_R) February 27, 2022

🇺🇦 Looting now flourishes on the territory of Ukraine pic.twitter.com/Zcyq2dVQBn

— Tintov Deveranov (@Pinxaor) February 28, 2022

There have yet to be reports of any looters shot though one video surfaced on TikTok then reposted on Twitter shows a man duct-taped to a light pole for the world to see. 

#Ukrainian soldiers duct tape a ukrainian man to a pole for looting. This is a #war crime. He will freeze to death overnight. The tiktok account that posted this has “88” in it, a number commonly used by neo-nazi’s. #Ukraine‘s military is full of them! pic.twitter.com/Z014lPOax2

— IgnorantHubris (@RussiaPrevaiIs) February 28, 2022

Something perhaps worth noting for some is the fact that as the nation crumbles amid the invasion, the looting only appears to be at supermarkets – with people truly in desperate need of bread and milk – and oddly not big-screen televisions, Louis Vuitton purses, and PlayStations…