Ukrainian officials accuse Russia of kidnapping Melitopol mayor

A screenshot from security video shows soldiers exiting through the front doors of the Melitopol City Registry Office with a person in custody. Ukraine's Deputy Head of the Office of the President, Kirill Timoshenko, said the person being taken is Melitopol's mayor, Ivan Fedorov. (Kirill Timoshenko via Storyful)

Ukrainian officials have accused Russia of abducting the mayor of Melitopol, a city in southeastern Ukraine occupied by the Russian military.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the apparent abduction of Ivan Fedorov "a new stage of terror," according to reporting by The Associated Press.

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

Security video released Friday by an aide to Zelensky appears to show soldiers exiting the Melitopol City Registry Office with a person in custody.

While it is not clear when the footage was taken or who is being taken from the building, Kirill Timoshenko, deputy head of Zelensky's office, linked the video to Fedorov.

News intelligence agency Storyful said social media activity from Fedorov indicated he had been working in the building since Russian forces seized the city on Feb. 26, and the last activity on his account was said to be on Friday.

Ukraine also released video of a crowd gathered in Melitopol on March 12, which it said was protesting the abduction.

According to The Associated Press, the U.S. government had warned Ukraine before the invasion of Russian plans to detain and kill targeted people, with Zelensky the top target.

With files from The Associated Press