• Direct War in Ukraine, latest news

The mayor of

Melitopol

was kidnapped on Friday by Russian soldiers occupying the southern Ukrainian city, the country's parliament and its president,

Volodymyr Zelensky

, said .

"A group of ten occupants has kidnapped the mayor of

Melitopol

,

Ivan Fedorov

," the Rada, the Ukrainian parliament, said on its Twitter account.

"He refused to cooperate with the enemy," he added.

According to this source, he was arrested when he was in the crisis center of the city, located about 120 km south of

Zaporizhia

, to deal with supply issues.

"Today in

Melitopol

, the invaders have captured the city's mayor

Ivan Fedorov

. A mayor who bravely defends Ukraine and members of his community,"

Zelensky

said later in a video.

Zelenski accuses Russia of kidnapping the mayor of Melitopol: "They have no support in our land"

"This is clearly a sign of the invaders' weakness... They have entered a new stage of terror in which they are trying to physically eliminate representatives of legitimate local Ukrainian authorities," he said.

The deputy head of the Ukrainian presidential administration,

Kirill Tymoshenko

, previously posted on Telegram a video showing from a distance soldiers leaving a building holding a man dressed in black with his head apparently covered with a black bag.

According to the Rada, other responsible for the region, the deputy head of the Zaporizhia

regional council

, Leyla Ibragimova, had been captured and then released days ago.

Before the start of the invasion on February 24,

Melitopol

had just over 150,000 inhabitants.

MEPs call for his release

A group of members of the European Parliament (EP) called this Saturday for the "immediate" release of the mayor of the Ukrainian city of Melitopol, allegedly imprisoned by Russian soldiers.

"We ask the Russian military authorities to release Ivan Fedorov immediately and ensure that his health and safety is preserved," the parliamentarians said in a statement.

The text is signed by David McAllister, Michael Gahler, Radoslaw Sikorski (all from the European People's Party), Tonino Picula (Social Democrat), Nathalie Loiseau, Petras Austrevicius (all from Renew Europe), Jaak Madison (Identity and Democracy), Viola von Cramon- Taubadel (Greens) and Adam Bielan (Conservatives and Reformists).

For those politicians, the kidnapping of the mayor is

"another example of the illegal, cynical and barbaric acts

perpetrated by the Russian armed forces in the context of their reckless and unprovoked aggression against Ukraine."

They also urge the Russian authorities to "fully respect the Geneva Conventions on combatant and non-combatant civilians and prisoners of war, as well as all relevant provisions of International Humanitarian Law."

"These are not just legal obligations for the Russian Federation, but represent the collective moral obligations of the international community, including the citizens of Europe and Russia," they note.

"Violations of the basic rights of civilians and attacks on civilian infrastructure committed under the watchful eye of the international community, including the United Nations and the European Union, will not be forgotten and all perpetrators of such acts will be prosecuted in accordance with International Law. We remain determined and committed to fighting impunity and will seek accountability and justice for all innocent citizens of Ukraine."

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