Ivan Federov, the mayor of Melitopol, Ukraine, was freed on Wednesday, five days after he was abducted by Russian forces.
Ukrainian diplomat Olexander Scherba tweeted that Ukraine conducted a "special operation" and rescued Federov "from captivity in the occupied Luhansk." After Federov was abducted on Friday, the prosecutor's office in the separatist Luhansk People's Republic accused him of terrorist offenses.
The Kyiv Independent reports that Federov was released in exchange for nine captured Russian soldiers.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In a video tweeted by Ukraine's defense ministry, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is heard on the phone with Federov, telling him, "We do not abandon ours." Federov responded that he plans on getting back to work in Melitopol. The city is under Russian control, and following Federov's abduction, Galina Danilchenko was installed as mayor. She is now being investigated by the Ukrainian prosector general for treason.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.