Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs asks the world to respond to the abduction of Melitopol mayor

Kateryna Tyshchenko -  Friday, 11 March 2022,  21:48

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine considers the abduction of the Mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, by the occupying forces to be a war crime and calls on the world to react.

Source: statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine

Verbatim:  "The abduction of the Melitopol mayor qualifies as a war crime under the Geneva Conventions and the Additional Protocol I, which prohibit civilian hostage-taking during the war."

"We call on the international community to respond immediately to the abduction of Ivan Fedorov and other civilians in Ukraine, and to increase pressure on Russia to force it to end the barbaric war against the Ukrainian people."

Details: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs called Fedorov's abduction one of the grave human rights violations conducted by the Russian occupying forces.

"Russian troops, who have been launching missile and bomb attacks on civilian facilities and infrastructure in Ukraine for the second week in a row, including children's hospitals and schools, are cynically accusing the mayor of 'terrorism’," the Ministry said.

Background: The Deputy Head of the Presidential Office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, announced the abduction of the captured mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, by the Russian occupiers.

The so-called "DPR (‘The Donetsk People's Republic’ -ed.) Prosecutor's Office" stated that Fedorov "provided financial and other assistance to the banned nationalist organization ‘Right Sector’ in committing terrorist crimes against civilians in Donbas."

Residents of Melitopol gathered for a rally on March 12 to defend Fedorov, who was abducted by Russia.