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Abducted Ukrainian Mayor freed in exchange for nine Russian POWs

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Abducted Ukrainian Mayor freed in exchange for nine Russian POWs

The Mayor of Melitopol, Ukraine, Ivan Fedorov, who was abducted by Russian forces when they seized the city on March 11, has been released in a prisoner exchange which involved nine Russian Prisoners of War (POWs).

A statement by his office on Friday said the Russians only agreed to release Fedorov in a prisoner exchange, specifically nine Russian prisoners of war captured by the Ukrainians.

Fedorov disappeared after he was purportedly shown being led away with a bag over his head by a large group of heavily armed Russian soldiers in Melitopol’s Victory Square in a CCTV video shared by Ukrainian presidential advisor Kirilo Timoshenko on Telegram.

Read also: Ukrainian Mayor kidnapped by Russian troops after taking over city

After his kidnap, a Russian-controlled separatists announced they were bringing charges against Fedorov for “aiding terrorism.”

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, had described the abduction of the Mayor as a “crime against democracy,” since he was a civil official.

Ukrainian newspaper, Ukrayinska Pravda later reported that the mayor spoke with the president after the successful prisoner exchange and thanked him for his efforts.

“We have finally managed to release the mayor of Melitopol from captivity. Ivan Fedorov is free. I talked to him today. The Russian military abducted him on March 11, trying to persuade him to collaborate. But our man withstood. He did not give up. Just as we all endure,” Zelenskyy said in a video released by his office on Friday.

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