Ukraine says the body of a mayor captured by Russian forces in the Zaporizhzhia region at the start of their 2022 invasion, who allegedly died in their captivity, had been returned.
Moscow seized swathes of the Zaporizhzhia region in the days after it attacked, including the town of Dniprorudne, and detained mayor Yevgen Matveiev, Kyiv says.
“He was held captive by the occupiers for two years and eight months and tortured to death,” Zaporizhzhia regional governor Ivan Fedorov said.
“During the last exchange, his body was returned to Ukraine.”
There was no immediate response to the claims from Moscow.Biden administration announces $1.1 billion Ukraine weapons package
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Russian forces swept through the industrial region in the south of the country and claimed to have annexed the territory in September 2022.
Dniprorudne, which lies on the Dnipro River, had an estimated pre-war population of 17,736.
Mr Fedorov described Mr Matveiev as a “true patriot”.
“During the occupation, he did not leave the city or the people, and did everything to ensure the life of the community,” he said on social media.
Mr Fedorov was himself briefly held by Russian forces in March 2022 when he served as the mayor of the southern city of Melitopol, which fell to Moscow.
Then-Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba called in March 2022 for an international response to Mr Matveiev’s disappearance.
European Council President Charles Michel also called for the mayor’s release.
In late March 2022, Kyiv sounded the alarm over the disappearance of 14 local officials from territories captured by Russian forces.
Kyiv and Moscow still regularly exchange prisoners of war as well as the bodies of killed soldiers and civilians.
The last reported swap of remains was late last month.
Ukraine detains girl on treason charges for aiding Russia
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s security service said it had detained a 16-year-old girl accused of helping Moscow orchestrate an air strike on the northern Chernigiv region.
Kyiv has opened thousands of probes against Ukrainians suspected of collaborating with Russian forces since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, though arrests of minors are rare.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said Russia tasked the girl with passing on the locations of air defence systems in the region, which borders Moscow ally Belarus.
The SBU claimed the girl carried out reconnaissance during taxi rides and passed over sensitive information via encrypted online messenger services.
It said she was detained while taking photographs of a defence facility.
“The SBU seized a mobile phone with evidence of intelligence and subversive activities in favour of Russia,” it added, saying the girl had been charged with high treason and was in custody.
The SBU said separately on Wednesday that it had detained six people in the Kyiv and southern Mykolaiv region for carrying out sabotage and arson attacks for Russia on railway and energy facilities.
Source: AFP
