Protests rage on in the Ukrainian city of Melitopol following the alleged abduction of the city’s mayor by Russian forces.
The Ukrainian Parliament alleges that ten Russians occupying the city of Melitopol captured Mayor Ivan Fedorov, the Washington Post reported.
Fedorov has been accused of “terrorist activities,” by the prosecutor’s office of the Luhansk People’s Republic, a Russian-backed breakaway state in Eastern Ukraine. They have accused Fedorov of providing money to Right Sector, a nationalist paramilitary organization in order to “commit terrorist crimes against Donbas civilians,” according to the Washington Post.
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’s life support. pic.twitter.com/mCzfCzDWzQ
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) March 11, 2022
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reportedly confirmed that Russian forces had captured Fedorov and called the act “a crime against democracy.” (RELATED: ‘I Am Not Afraid Of Anyone’: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Reveals His Location, Vows To Stay Put Amid War)
Zelenskyy claimed that the alleged abduction of Fedorov is but the latest in a string of actions that Russian forces have taken against mayors and government officials who have opposed the Russian occupation of their towns, Sky News reports.
Zelenskyy considers the allegations against Fedorov baseless and has called his alleged abduction “simple terrorism,” according to the Washington Post.
Following the alleged abduction of the mayor, over 2,000 people took to the streets to protest outside of city hall, which is now controlled by Russian troops. The protestors began chanting for the mayor’s release.
President Zelenskyy has said that he is trying to get German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron to talk to Vladimir Putin and demand the release of the mayor, the Washington Post reported.