Scott Peterson via Getty Images In Kherson, a city taken by the army in early March, the Russians want to hold a referendum on establishing an independent republic.
UKRAINE – Vladimir Putin is advancing (carefully) towards Kyiv two weeks into his invasion of Ukraine. But he is also beginning to use political ground to bring the country under his control, as evidenced by the kidnappings of mayors in recent days.
This Sunday, March 13, the deputy of the Dneprogorod City Council Yevgeny Matveev was abducted by the Russian military. “Today, March 13, at 8:30 am, the army of the Russian Federation captured the mayor of the city of Dniprorudne,” Alexander Starouh, the governor of the Zaporozhye region, wrote on Telegram. The city is located in the south of the country, as you can see on our map below (use the wheel to zoom).
Two days earlier, on Friday, March 11, the mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, was also abducted by the Russians, who occupied the city, located halfway between Mariupol and Kherson, about 80 kilometers south of Dniprorudny. Reason: He “refused to cooperate with the enemy,” according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, also on Moscow’s radar.
“This is a crime against democracy,” Zelensky condemns
Shortly before his disappearance, Ivan Fedorov told the BBC that he had absolutely no intention of cooperating with the Russians. The latter, perhaps, believed that their arrival would be perceived as the liberation of the inhabitants of this predominantly Russophile city. Missed. “They didn’t try to help us, they can’t help us, and we don’t want their help,” Ivan Fedorov insisted.
According to Ukrainian parliamentarian Maria Ionova, the mayor is currently being tortured and “forced to renounce allegiance to the Ukrainian people in order to join the occupiers or resign.” “Help us free him!” she urged on Twitter. Dozens of protesters gathered on Saturday to demand his release, according to a video released by a BBC journalist in Ukraine.
kidnapped #Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov is being tortured. He is forced to break his oath of allegiance to the Ukrainian people and go over to the side of the occupiers or resign.
Help us free Ivan Fedorov! Share this post!#FreeIvanFyodorov#Get upWithUkraine️#StopRussiapic.twitter.com/iwReyDvj1A
— Maria Ionova (@MPMaria_Ionova) March 12, 2022
In Melitopol, recalcitrant residents gathered at the occupied district administration, demanding from the Russians the release of the kidnapped mayor of Melitopol Ivan Fedorov – video by the Governor of the Odessa region Maxim Marchenko pic.twitter.com/nCrE6OtQd0
— Miroslav Petsa (@myroslavapetsa) March 12, 2022
“The capture of the mayor of Melitopol is (…) a crime against democracy (…). The actions of the Russian occupiers will be equated with the actions of the terrorists of the Islamic State, ”the Ukrainian president was indignant for his part. “(The Russians) have moved on to a new stage of terror in which they are trying to physically eliminate representatives of the legitimate local Ukrainian authorities,” he said.
International beliefs
European leaders also condemned the kidnapping of the two mayors. “The EU strongly condemns the kidnapping of the mayors of Melitopol and Dniprorudny by the Russian armed forces. This is a new attack on democratic institutions in Ukraine and an attempt to create illegitimate alternative state structures in a sovereign country,” EU diplomat Josep Borrell said on Twitter.
European Council President Charles Michel also condemned “in the strongest possible terms Russia’s indiscriminate bombing of civilians in Ukraine, as well as Russia’s kidnapping of the mayors of Melitopol and Dniprorudny and other Ukrainians.”
“These kidnappings and other pressure on Ukrainian local authorities are yet another egregious violation of international law,” added the President of the European Council, representing the Twenty-Seven. “The military-political aggression of Russia against Ukraine must be stopped.”
The EU strongly condemns the kidnapping of the mayors of Melitopol and Dniprorudny by the Russian armed forces.
This is another attack on democratic institutions in #Ukraine and an attempt to create illegitimate alternative state structures in a sovereign country.
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) March 13, 2022
Condemn in the strongest possible terms Russia’s indiscriminate targeting of civilians in #Ukraine as well as the kidnapping by Russia #Melitopol as well as #Dneprudny mayors and other Ukrainians.
— Charles Michel (@eucopresident) March 13, 2022
Meanwhile, Galina Danilchenko, a former pro-Russian city council member, has reportedly been appointed by Moscow as the new mayor of Melitopol. german wave and Sky News. In an address to her constituents, she called on the city to “adapt to the new reality” and stop “committing extremist acts.”
Referendum for an independent republic in Kherson
And Russia does not stop there. She wants to organize a referendum on establishing an independent republic in Kherson, a city near Crimea and the first major city captured by Russian forces since their February 24 invasion of Ukraine, several Ukrainian officials say.
“Following the 2014 scenario, the Russians are desperately trying to organize a fake ‘referendum’ for a fake ‘people’s republic’ in Kherson,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted.
He cites a referendum organized in Crimea in 2014 following Russia’s annexation of the peninsula, which Kyiv and Westerners deemed illegal.
“Given the fact that there is no popular support, this will be completely staged,” he predicted, calling for “tough sanctions” on Russia if that happens. “Kherson is and always will be in Ukraine.”
See also The HuffPost: The war in Ukraine and its terrible consequences for the health of children