“It was a dangerous six days because I realized that for the Russians my life and the lives of the civilians were worth zero,” said Ivan Fedorov, the mayor of Melitopolis, now under Russian control, in Rome on Sunday, a month after his release. of. Ukraine said Fedorov was abducted on March 11 after Russian forces occupied Melitopol, west of the besieged city of Mariupol in a southern Russian-controlled area. Kyiv announced the release of Fedorov in an exchange of prisoners on March 16. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Russia, which calls its actions in Ukraine a “special military operation,” has not commented on the mayor’s detention or the exchange of prisoners, as reported by Ukraine. Fedorov, who met with Pope Francis and Vatican Foreign Minister Cardinal Pietro Parolin on Saturday before attending an Easter service, said he had asked the Vatican to mediate between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Mariupol, which has faced catastrophic bombings. Major Serhiy Volyna, commander of the 36th Ukrainian Marine Brigade, which is still fighting in Mariupol, also called on the Pope for help in a letter published in the Telegram on Monday. “I do not have much time to describe all the horror I see here every day. Women with children and babies live in shelters … Every day the injured die because there is no medicine. Without water, without food,” he said. He wrote. “Help them to be saved.” Describing his detention by Russian forces at the Melitopol police station, Fedorov said in an interview: “They came to me at night with five or seven soldiers and talked for about four or five hours, a tough dialogue.” “MY HALF CITY IS DESTRUCTION” “They wanted to give me an example of what would happen if we did not agree with what the Russians wanted,” the mayor told Reuters and the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero, saying he had faced “psychological” but not physical torture. “The Russian soldiers thought they would be welcomed, but they were not … and that’s why the Russians were very, very angry,” he said. “There is no food in my city. There is no pharmacy. Half of my city has been destroyed. More than 200 people have been abducted. It is not safe to walk on the streets,” he said. Russia denies targeting civilians and denies what Ukraine says is evidence of atrocities, saying Kyiv has organized them to undermine peace talks. Moscow says it launched military action almost two months ago to demilitarize Ukraine and eliminate what it calls dangerous nationalists. The occupation of Melitopol, Mariupol and the southern coast will give Russian forces a land link between pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine and Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014. Russia has said it has almost complete control of Mariupol. . Fedorov, who said he was in regular contact with the people of Melitopolis, said he had invited the pope to visit Ukraine because “he may be able to stop this war.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy also summoned the pope, vowing to guarantee his safety. read more Pope Francis tacitly criticized Russia, calling for an end to a war that included unwarranted aggression and invasion. Addressing Fedorov and other Ukrainians on the eve of Easter, the pope said: “Have courage, we accompany you.” read more Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Report by Philip Pullella. Edited by Edmund Blair Our role models: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
title: “Ukraine Mayor Describes Hard Interrogation By Russian Captors " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-08” author: “Sarah Diaz”
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