Mayor of Kherson's Berislav area released from Russian soldiers' captivity after 2 weeks

Mayor of Berislav (Kherson region) Alexander Shapovalov, who was taken hostage by the Russian armed forces, stated on Sunday that he has been released after being taken captive for at least 2 weeks by the Russian soldiers. In a video published on Facebook, Berislav’s mayor informed that the Russian occupiers had let him go, and also promised to free other detainees. He then asked the residents of the embattled region not to panic. “Yesterday, the mayor of Berislav, Alexander Shapovalov, was released from captivity. It was 16 days long and difficult days for everyone,” an update on his status shared by the city council on Facebook read. It further added that the politician was “not in danger” and was fine in health. 

Invading Russian forces had taken hostage several residents, officials, deputies, public activists, and journalists in the Kherson region, Ukrinform reported. There were also reports of “missing people” and incidents of looting. Earlier, a 33-year-old mayor of the Ukrainian town of Melitopol was also abducted by the Russian soldiers back in March. He had remained in captivity for over five days. After he was released, Ivan Fedorov fled to France and bore testimony of the invasion. The Russian troops, according to him, were clueless about the town of Ukraine. In an interview on French television channel BFM TV, the mayor stated that his town in southern, Zaporizhzhia was besieged by Russian forces as they invaded on Feb. 24. 

Russian soldiers 'wanted to liberate the town from the Nazis'

The first missile struck the military airport nearby. He further added that the Russian troops were becoming aggressive as their plan was being challenged due to the tough resistance put up by the Ukrainian forces and the civilians. "They saw that the citizens were not welcoming them. On the contrary, people have been openly opposing the aggressor [this angered them.] While they were armed, citizens launched at them yelling, 'Leave our town!’” Increasingly frustrated Russian soldiers covered Fedorov's head with a black bag and took him away. While he was isolated in a facility, he could hear people screaming as they were tortured in other cells by soldiers. He was only released as the incident was caught on camera. 

"They said they wanted to liberate the town from the Nazis and where were they, and I told them in my 30 years in this town I've never seen a single Nazi,” Fedorov told BFM interviewer Bruce Toussaint. "I told them 95% of us speak Russian.” 

Earlier in the day, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk informed that Russian troops are holding hostage at least 11 Ukrainian mayors and have killed one in detention. In a social media post, the deputy PM informed that 11 local mayors from Kyiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv, and the Donetsk regions "are in Russian captivity" adding that one has lost life. Ukraine will "inform the International Committee of the Red Cross, the UN, and other organizations about their captivity," she warned.