Ukraine learns about death of Dniprorudne mayor in Russian captivity during identification of bodies

This was announced by the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets at a briefing, Ukrinform reports.

‘It was a surprise for me. Because by that time we had information that he was in captivity. As far as I remember, he stayed in the Russian-occupied town, the Russians detained a group of employees of the utility company, and he went to personally release them, they were all released, and he was detained. After that, there was an official confirmation that he was in Russian captivity. And it came as a complete surprise to us that the body was handed over,’ he said.

Lubinets added that the Ukrainian side learns about the deaths of prisoners in Russia after the body is handed over and the identification procedure is carried out on the territory of Ukraine. After that, it can be announced publicly.

‘As a rule, when bodies are repatriated, and I was at one of these processes myself, we are not informed of any identification,’ the ombudsman explained.

According to the Ombudsman, this indicates two dangerous trends, the first of which is the ineffective work of international organizations, in particular the International Committee of the Red Cross.

‘And the second is that the Russians are doing it deliberately, confirming once again that there are no rules for them. They can violate them at any time and in any way, and unfortunately, they do not bear any responsibility for this. We have examples of people who were confirmed by the International Committee of the Red Cross as alive but later died, and the examinations revealed that they died as a result of physical inhuman torture,’ Lubinets added.

The death of the mayor of Dniprorudne: what is known

The mayor of Dniprorudne was abducted by the occupying Russian forces in March 2022. Thus, Matveev was held captive by Russia for 2 years and 8 months.

On December 4, 2024, the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration reported that Russia had returned Matveev's body to Ukraine during the last exchange. They clarified that on 13 March 2022, the mayor of the town was informed by phone that the occupying Russian forces had detained a bus with employees of the Zaporizhzhia Iron Ore Plant's shift at a checkpoint. Matveev immediately went to the scene. The miners were released, but the mayor was taken prisoner.

Commenting on the news of Matveev's death, President Zelenskyy said that as of December 2024, at least 6 mayors and heads of Ukrainian communities were held in Russian captivity.

The body of Yevhen Matveev, the mayor of Dniprorudne, was returned to Ukraine in November this year with signs of violent death.