Russian forces have abducted a second Ukrainian mayor, this one from the town of Dniprorudne, Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister says

The leader of the southern town of Dniprorudne has been kidnapped by Russian forces, the Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister said.

Ivan Fedorov, the mayor of the city of Melitopol, was kidnapped by the Russians and replaced by an acting mayor.

Russian war criminals kidnapped the head of Dniprorudne Yevhen Matveyev. Getting zero local support leads to invaders turning to terror, according to Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

Kuleba made a plea to all states and international organizations to stop Russian terror.

—Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) March 13, 2022

Dniprorudne is north of Melitopol. Sky News reported that the Russian choice for the mayor of Melitopol was a former member of the city council. She was introduced as the acting mayor on local TV.

The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy condemned the two kidnappings.

The EU condemns the abduction of the mayors of Dniprorudne and Melitopol by the Russian armed forces.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Mayor Fedorov was a war crime because he was taken hostage.