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.

On Saturday, Galina Danilchenko, a former member of the local city council, was installed by the Russian military as the new mayor. 

 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.

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry insisted Fedorov is no terrorist. And called the mayor’s kidnapping a “war crime”. It also asked Ukraine’s allies to pressure Russia in response to the mayor’s abduction and continued attacks on civilians.

President Volodymyr Zelensky is comparing Russian soldiers to “ISIS terrorists” in response to the kidnapping.

“They have transitioned into a new stage of terror, in which they try to physically liquidate representatives of Ukraine’s lawful local authorities,” Zelensky said in a video address Friday night.

More than 2,000 residents of the city staged a rally to support Fedorov Saturday. 

The unelected mayor gives a statement

Galina Danilchenko will now be the acting mayor according to a statement on the Zaporizhzhia regional administration website.

Danilchenko stated on local TV. She claimed her "main task is to take all necessary steps to get the city back to normal." 

She says there are still people in Melitopol who are trying to destabilize the new government and they might “provoke a reaction of bad behavior."

"I ask you to keep your wits about you and not to give in to these provocations," Danilchenko said. "I appeal to the deputies, elected by the people, on all levels. Since you were elected by the people, it is your duty to care about the well-being of your citizens." 

Danilchenko proposed the creation of a "People's Choice Committee" to "solve all the critical issues for Melitopol and the Melitopol region."