The Russian military continues to kidnap city officials in the temporarily occupied territories. This was announced by Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko, who also heads the Association of Ukrainian Cities, Radio Svoboda reports.
"The killing, abduction and torture of civilians is what the Russian aggressor, who came to destroy Ukraine and Ukrainians, is doing. During the war, on 24 February, the occupiers abducted 11 mayors and eight other municipal officials," Klitschko said.
He stressed that the abduction of community leaders in wartime endangers all residents, as such leaders are responsible for the critical management and livelihoods of settlements.
"The occupiers are resorting to barbarism because they can't defeat us. And they don't know what to do when Ukrainians meet them not with flowers, but with curses and demands to go away," Klitschko commented.
He called on international organizations and mayors of European municipalities to make every effort and use all possible mechanisms and pressure to help Ukraine overcome the Russian invasion as soon as possible.
On 25 March the Minister of Reintegration of the Occupied Territories Irina Vereshchuk reported the kidnapping of 14 politicians and representatives of local government by the Russian occupiers.
Today it also became known that in Melitopol the occupiers kidnapped the Head of the Department of Education and now occupiers are trying to instill the study of Russian in schools.
Earlier, Mayor of Melitopol Ivan Fedorov, abducted by the occupiers on March 11, was exchanged for 9 Russian conscripts. He spent six days in captivity.