There is CCTV footage showing the abduction of Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov. A group of 10 armed Russian soldiers put a black plastic bag over his head and kidnapped him in broad daylight, on Friday.
Melitopol, a city of about 150,000 people in southeastern Ukraine, is currently under Russian control, officials said. It is under the municipality of Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Both the city and the municipality appear to be under Russian control according to Ukraine ministry officials.
Mayor’s kidnapping rocks city
Despite the 2-week Russian occupation of the city, Fedorov, who is ethnic Russian, has been encouraging demonstrations in Melitopol.
Mayor Fedorov was taken from the Melitopol crisis center Friday after he “refused to cooperate with the enemy,” Ukraine’s parliament claims.
He is being accused of terrorism offenses by the prosecutor in the separatist Moscow-backed Luhansk region. It is unknown where he is being held. And there is widespread fear that he is being tortured.
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