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https://youtu.be/g5jRcNyGm1A

Russian troops abducted the mayor of the captured city of Melitopol, allegedly for not cooperating with them.

A video clip shared by Kyrylo Tymoshenko, a senior official in Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky�s office, showed a person said to be Ivan Fedorov being whisked away by a group of armed soldiers.

According to Ukraine�s parliament, known as the Verkhovna Rada, the Russian forces put a plastic bag on Fedorov�s head when they abducted him.

�He refused to cooperate with the enemy,� it wrote on Twitter. �The Ukrainian flag stood in the mayor�s office.�

The parliament said the mayor was seized when he was at the city�s crisis center dealing with supply issues.

Authorities in Ukraine called the incident a war crime and have urged Russia to release him immediately.

"They have transitioned into a new stage of terror, in which they try to physically liquidate representatives of Ukraine's lawful local authorities," Mr Zelenskyy said in a video address.

The detention of Mr Fedorov was an attempt to "bring the city to its knees", he added.

The Ukrainian MP Mariia Ionova also posted on Twitter: "Kidnapped Melitopol city mayor Ivan Fedorov is being forced to break his oath of allegiance to Ukrainian people and join invaders' side or resign."

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https://twitter.com/MPMaria_Ionova/status/1502661641799979010?s=20&t=nTbhQTqTC_LspR8qVHTXFQ

Melitopol, about 120 miles (190km) west of Mariupol in southeastern Ukraine, has a population of 150,000 and fell under Russian control on 26 February.