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.”
