Ukraine’s Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov has been freed from Russian invaders, said Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy head of the Ukrainian Office of the President.
Without providing details, Tymoshenko said a rescue operation to free the mayor was carried out successfully and assured the public that Fedorov is safe in a video posted to his Telegram.
“Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov is already safe! Glory To Ukraine,” Tymoshenko captioned his post. “We don’t leave our people in danger,” he later added.
Following his release, the mayor had a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and thanked him for the rescue operation. “We don’t drop our own,” Zelensky replied. Tymoshenko posted footage of the call between Fedorov and Zelensky on his Telegram channel.
MAYOR OF UKRAINIAN CITY MELITOPOL CAPTURED BY RUSSIAN FORCES
🇺🇦 says that mayor of Melitopol was released “after a special operation”. Zelensky speaks to him& jokes: “we are happy they took you.. “You seem to have a very lively voice”, he says.
Mayor:”Thank you for not dropping me”.
Z: “We don’t drop our own”. pic.twitter.com/ciOm6NfQMd— Ani Chkhikvadze (@achkhikvadze) March 16, 2022
Fedorov is expected to return to his duties as mayor. He was captured by Russian forces last Friday. They put a bag over his head as they dragged him from the city for refusing to cooperate with the invaders, according to Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to the minister of internal affairs of Ukraine.
Footage of Fedorov’s capture was published by Bloomberg. Russia then installed a new mayor in the city. Zelensky immediately demanded the mayor’s release in response to his abduction.
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There are three notable Ukrainian local officials still in the hands of the Russian forces, including Yevhen Matveev, mayor of Dniprorudne, Yuri Prylypko, head of the Hostomel community, and Serhiy Priyma, head of the Melitopol City Council, Rustem Umerov, a member of the Ukrainian Parliament, tweeted.
