Ukraine accuses Russia of kidnapping the mayor of Melitopol.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry has accused Russian soldiers of kidnapping the mayor of the southeastern city of Melitopol.
Officials said Russian troops abducted Mayor Ivan Fedorov on Friday afternoon after falsely accusing him of terrorism.
The allegations of Ukraine could not be confirmed and Russian officials have not yet commented.
“The abduction of the mayor of Melitopol is classified as a war crime under the Geneva Conventions and the Additional Protocol, which prohibit the taking of hostages during war,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Melitopol fell to Russian troops almost two weeks ago, and Fedorov said on Wednesday that residents “were not cooperating with the Russians in any way”.