Association of Ukrainian Cities urges everyone to join in the release of the abducted mayors and starosta.

As of 10 December 2024, they remain in russian captivity:
Oleksandr Babych, Hola Prystan City Mayor (Kherson region),
Ihor Kolykhaiev, Kherson City Mayor,
Anatolii Siryi, Starosta of Novi Borovychi starosta district, Snovsk city municipality (Chernihiv region).
 

The Association of Ukrainian Cities is systematically working to release the abducted local government officials. Since the full-scale invasion, 55 officials have been abducted.

Two abducted municipal officials died in captivity:

Oleksii Vynnychenko, Starosta of Hrebenyky starosta district, Boromlia village municipality, Sumy region, died in russian captivity, where he had been kept for two and a half years. The body of the dead Oleksii Vynnychenko was returned to his homeland in July 2024.

Yevhenii Matvieiev, Dniprorudne City Mayor, Zaporizhzhia region, died in russian captivity, where he had been kept for two years and eight months. Yevhen Matvieiev's tortured body was returned to Ukraine in December 2024.

Three local government officials are still held in russian captivity, and the Association of Ukrainian Cities, the security services, the Ombudsman of Ukraine and our international partners have joined efforts to release them.

To read the Ukrainian version of the article, please click here.