Ukraine War: Mayor of the Ukrainian city has been kidnapped

Russia began an invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, in an escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War that began in 2014 and this has led to the kidnap of  Mayor of the Ukrainian city of Melitopol on Friday by Russian soldiers occupying the city, this was according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The war, which has continued for more than two weeks now, have seen the Russian troops closing in on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.

The New Delhi Television Ltd reports that Russian advances have sparked fears that Kyiv could soon be encircled.

Since the commencement of the war, foreign factories in Russia have shut down operation and the Russian government has proposed nationalizing foreign-owned factories that shut down operations in the country over what the Kremlin calls a special military operation in Ukraine.

The West and the European Union have also continued to step up sanctions against Russia, with the last being the United States imposing a ban on Russian seafood, vodka and diamonds. This does not exclude the ban on exporting luxury goods to Russia by the European Union.

Meanwhile, the US President, Joe Biden, has again ruled out any direct intervention in the war, warning that such conflict pitting the NATO alliance against Russia “is World War III,” NDTV reports.

Recently, intense fighting is reported north west of the Ukrainian capital as reports suggest the bulk of Russian forces are now just 25km from the city,