The mayor of the temporarily occupied city of Dniprorudne in Zaporizhzhia region, Yevhen Matveev, who was abducted by Russian forces over 2 years ago, was tortured while in captivity. His body was returned to Ukraine during the latest prisoner exchange.
This was reported by the Governor of the Zaporizhzhia region, Ivan Fedorov.
"He was held captive by the occupiers for 2 years and 8 months and was tortured. During the latest exchange, his body was returned to Ukraine," Fedorov wrote.
Matveev was abducted by Russian military forces on March 13, 2022, at a checkpoint. He had gone there after learning that the Russian troops were blocking a bus carrying workers of the Zaporizhzhia Iron Ore Plant’s next shift.
While the miners were eventually released, Matveev was detained. His phone and official vehicle were confiscated. It was later revealed that he had been taken captive, but his fate remained unknown until recently.
The last exchange of the bodies occurred on November 29, when the remains of 502 fallen Ukrainian soldiers were recovered and brought back to Ukrainian-controlled territory.
The International Society for Human Rights estimates that over 14,000 Ukrainian civilians are currently held in Russian detention facilities.
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