The mayor of Melitopol said how many civilians were captured by the Russians

In the temporarily occupied territories of the Zaporozhye region, about 500 Ukrainian citizens were captured by the Russians. Russia refused to release both military and civilians. The mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, announced this on Friday, November 24, during a telethon.

“Today, about 500 residents of the temporarily occupied territories of the Zaporozhye region are in captivity. According to statements from relatives, these people are on the registers for exchange, but the enemy is not wants to exchange either military or civilian,” he said.

Fedorov added that at least 10 citizens of Melitopol are being tried on the territory of the Russian Federation, including the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

“We know that today at least ten residents of Melitopol are on trial. Some are being tried in Rostov, some in Moscow, some in the territory of the occupied Crimea,” said Fedorov.

He emphasized that with such actions the Russians are trying to intimidate the Ukrainians so that they stop resisting the invaders.

“Secondly, the occupiers are trying to catch the organizers of the resistance,” Fedorov said.

The mayor of Melitopol added, the threats of the BOT invaders are getting more intense. They do not allow children to communicate with friends in Ukrainian-controlled territory, and students of pseudo-medical universities are forced to work in military hospitals and provide aid to wounded Russian soldiers.

The government also allocated 180.7 million hryvnias from the state budget reserve fund to pay state aid to prisoners and their families.

Since the summer, Russia has effectively frozen prisoner exchanges with Ukraine. However, negotiations are ongoing to resume them.