Ukraine has accused Russia of violating international law by abducting the mayor of Melitopol, a Ukrainian city that fell under Russian control during the invasion of Ukraine, on Friday.
According to Reuters, Ukrainian officials said that the mayor of Melitopolis Ivan Fedorov was abducted after being falsely accused of terrorism. “The abduction of the mayor of Melitopol is a war crime under the Geneva Conventions and the Additional Protocol, which prohibit the taking of civilians hostage during the war,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Russia has not commented on Fedorov’s fate.
The Ukrainians claim that the Russian forces intend to replace him with a “pro-Russian” or even a Russian mayor, as the city is being pounded daily by bombings and attacks.
The mayor of #Melitopol Ivan Fedorov was kidnapped, said Anton Gerashchenko
According to him, Fyodorov refused to cooperate with the Russian military occupying the city. He was detained at the city crisis center, where he was in charge of the city life support. pic.twitter.com/mCzfCzDWzQ
– NEXTA (@nexta_tv) March 11, 2022
A few days ago, the deputy head of the Zaporizhia regional council, Leila Ibrahimova, was also abducted but released, according to Randa.
Before the Russian invasion, on February 24, Melitopolis had about 150,000 inhabitants.
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