The newly elected mayor of Kherson, Ukraine, was arrested by pro-Russian occupation forces

The elected Ukrainian mayor of Kherson, a city occupied by Russian forces and their separatist allies, has been arrested, the deputy head of the occupation administration, Kirill Stremusov, announced on Tuesday (June 28).

“Former mayor Igor Kolikhaev was arrested. In the Nazi community, he is considered a heroic mayor (…) This man, who caused great damage to the process of Nazism, has finally been neutralized.This official of the military and civil administration of the Kherson region in the south of Ukraine told the Russian Ria Novosti agency. Igor: Kolikhaev was ousted from local government by Russian troops in April, weeks after Moscow captured the city and its district of the same name. “He is considered a hero mayor in the Nazi community (…) This man, who caused great damage to the process of denationalization, was finally neutralized,” added Kirill Stremusov.

Russia and its allies consider the authorities of Ukraine to be led by “Nazi” leaders. The Kremlin justifies its attack on Ukraine with the need to “liberate” the country. Councilor earlier on Tuesday Igor: Kolikhaev condemned the “kidnapping” of the elected mayor on Facebook. After his resignation in April, the city councilor announced that he would stay in his city and continue to campaign for his constituents. The occupation authorities harshly criticized him for several days.

At the same time, attacks against representatives of pro-Russian authorities have multiplied in recent weeks. On June 24, a pro-Russian official in Kherson was killed in a car bomb that the Kremlin described as “terrorist.” In the early days of its offensive against Ukraine, Russia conquered and occupied parts of southern Ukraine, notably the Kherson region, before its advance in the region was halted. In recent weeks, Ukrainian forces have returned to the offensive in the area to retake lost territory.