Ukraine war: Zelenskyy warns of 'new stage of terror' as Russian troops accused of kidnapping city's
- 2 anni fa
Ukraine's foreign ministry warned that the kidnapping of Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov constituted a war crime and said the perpetrators would be brought to justice.
#Ukraine #Zelenskyywarns #newstage
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said the mayor of the city of Melitopol had been kidnapped by Russian troops.
Ukraine's parliament claims Ivan Fedorov was kidnapped by 10 gunmen who put a plastic bag over his head.
A video posted on Telegram by the deputy head of the Ukrainian presidential office appeared to show Mr Fedorov being escorted through the central square.
Ivan Fedorov is the mayor of the southern port city of Melitopol. Image: Ukrainian Parliament
Mr Zelensky equated the kidnapping with an operation by "Islamic State terrorists" and said the Russian military had "entered a new stage of terror".
"They are trying to physically eliminate representatives of the local legitimate authorities in Ukraine," the president warned.
Ukraine's foreign ministry warned that the kidnapping constituted a war crime and vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice.
"We call on the international community to respond immediately to the kidnapping of Ivan Fedorov and other civilians and to increase pressure on Russia to end the brutal war against the Ukrainian people," the statement added.
On February 26, the southern port city of Melitopol, with a population of about 150,000, was occupied by Russian troops.
26 February 0:33: The Russian flag is raised in Melitopol
The prosecutor's office of the Luhansk People's Republic, a Moscow-backed breakaway region in eastern Ukraine, charged Fedorov with "terrorist activities".
Before the invasion began, U.S. intelligence agencies warned that Russia was planning to detain certain targets in Ukraine.
President Zelensky himself may be one of those targets.
2:51 Ukraine War: Day 16
Important progress:
• Vladimir Putin's forces carried out further airstrikes in Kyiv, Kharkov and Mariupol on Friday
• Russia has also "banned" military airfields in Lutsk and Ivano-Frankivsk using long-range, high-precision weapons.
• Thousands of civilians and soldiers on both sides have allegedly been involved in the invasion so far
• Putin claims "some positive developments" in talks between Ukraine and Russia
• Meanwhile, Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the Ukrainian army has reached a "strategic turning point" in the war
#Ukraine #Zelenskyywarns #newstage
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said the mayor of the city of Melitopol had been kidnapped by Russian troops.
Ukraine's parliament claims Ivan Fedorov was kidnapped by 10 gunmen who put a plastic bag over his head.
A video posted on Telegram by the deputy head of the Ukrainian presidential office appeared to show Mr Fedorov being escorted through the central square.
Ivan Fedorov is the mayor of the southern port city of Melitopol. Image: Ukrainian Parliament
Mr Zelensky equated the kidnapping with an operation by "Islamic State terrorists" and said the Russian military had "entered a new stage of terror".
"They are trying to physically eliminate representatives of the local legitimate authorities in Ukraine," the president warned.
Ukraine's foreign ministry warned that the kidnapping constituted a war crime and vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice.
"We call on the international community to respond immediately to the kidnapping of Ivan Fedorov and other civilians and to increase pressure on Russia to end the brutal war against the Ukrainian people," the statement added.
On February 26, the southern port city of Melitopol, with a population of about 150,000, was occupied by Russian troops.
26 February 0:33: The Russian flag is raised in Melitopol
The prosecutor's office of the Luhansk People's Republic, a Moscow-backed breakaway region in eastern Ukraine, charged Fedorov with "terrorist activities".
Before the invasion began, U.S. intelligence agencies warned that Russia was planning to detain certain targets in Ukraine.
President Zelensky himself may be one of those targets.
2:51 Ukraine War: Day 16
Important progress:
• Vladimir Putin's forces carried out further airstrikes in Kyiv, Kharkov and Mariupol on Friday
• Russia has also "banned" military airfields in Lutsk and Ivano-Frankivsk using long-range, high-precision weapons.
• Thousands of civilians and soldiers on both sides have allegedly been involved in the invasion so far
• Putin claims "some positive developments" in talks between Ukraine and Russia
• Meanwhile, Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the Ukrainian army has reached a "strategic turning point" in the war