In Melitopol, the invaders kidnapped journalists, their location is currently unknown. In the morning, armed men came to journalists Yulia Olkhovskaya and Lyubov Chaika, publisher Mikhail Kumok, producing editor of the Melitopolskie Vedomosti newspaper Yevgenia Boryan, took them away and took them to an unknown destination.. This was announced by the daughter of Mikhail Kumok Tatyana.

She also added that none of the abducted people got in touch.. It is likely that the occupiers want to achieve cooperation. Tatyana Kumok also has no connection with her mother, and under the house of her parents there is a car of invaders.

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According to the Center for Journalistic Investigations, at the moment the website of the Melitopolskie Vedomosti publication is not working.. Before the shutdown, a message about the kidnapping of journalists appeared on it.

“Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the MV editorial staff has been constantly in touch with readers, covering the events that took place in Melitopol and the region, taking a pro-Ukrainian position. With the dominance of enemy propaganda, which the occupiers were actively spreading from the moment they appeared in the city, it was expected that journalists and employees would be put under pressure. And today it came out.

We call on the leadership of the city and the country, colleagues from the Ukrainian and world press to speak out in defense of the Melitopol press representatives, ”the latest message from the MV-Holding editorial says..

Recall, on March 11, the invaders kidnapped the mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, for refusing to cooperate. Subsequently, he was taken to the temporarily occupied Luhansk.

The actions of the invaders are a war crime, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky demanded the immediate release of the mayor and ensure the safety of the leaders of all Ukrainian communities. And Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba called on the world community to put more pressure on the aggressor.

Melitopol residents also came out to protest in support of Fedorov. Enraged by the resistance, the invaders kidnapped the organizer Olga Gaysumova. In place of the “mayor”, the occupiers tried to arrange a local deputy, Galina Danilchenko (“OPZZH”), she immediately began to urge “not to resist the Russians”. She was later informed of suspicion of high treason..

On March 16, it became known that Fedorov was released, he was exchanged for nine Russian conscripts..