Russian captors torture and hand over kidnapped Dniprorudne mayor’s body in final exchange

The Russian occupiers subjected Yevheniy Matveiev, mayor of Dniprorudne in the Zaporizhzhia region, to brutal torture during the captivity.

The head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration, Ivan Fedorov, reported that.

"The Russians occupied Dniprorudne, Zaporizhzhia region, at the end of February 2022. Later, the mayor, Yevheniy Matveiev, was also captured.

He was held captive by the occupiers for 2 years and 8 months and was tortured," Fedorov wrote.

He noted that the body was returned to Ukraine during the last exchange.

The head of the regional military administration added that Yevheniy Matveiev was a true patriot who consistently worked with people.

"He was strong-willed and principled. During the occupation, he did not leave either the city or the people, did everything to ensure the community's life, constantly informed the population about the course of events and supported it," Fedorov wrote.

It was reported that during the initial days of the occupiers' full-scale invasion, the mayor of Dniprorudne, Yevheniy Matveiev, and the residents successfully halted an enemy tank. The people bravely confronted the Russian equipment, ultimately causing the occupiers to retreat.

According to local authorities, Yevheniy Matveiev was captured by Russian troops on March 13, 2022.

For reference:

During the last exchange of bodies on November 29, 502 fallen service members were returned to the territory controlled by Ukraine. Among them were:

• 397 Ukrainian soldiers from the Donetsk front;
• 24 from the Luhansk front;
• 64 from the Zaporizhzhia front;
• 17 from morgues on the territory of the Russian Federation.

According to the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, the Russian side once again refused to return the body of Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna during the repatriation on November 29. Roshchyna had died while in captivity in Russian territory.

The Ministerial Conference on the Human Dimension of the Peace Formula was also held in Montreal. The participants approved the Joint Communiqué. The participating states undertook to facilitate the return of all captured and deported Ukrainian citizens.