KIEV: According to Ukrainian government sources, Ivan Fedorov, the Mayor of Melitopol who was purportedly kidnapped by Russian forces on March 11, has been released.

Kyrylo Tymoshenko, Deputy Head of the President's Office, verified the news on Wednesday, according to Ukrayinska Pravda. Tymoshenko announced the completion of a "special operation" to free Fedorov from Russian prison.

Meanwhile, Andriy Yermak, the Head of the President's Office, said he spoke with President Volodymyr Zelensky after Fedorov was released. Yermak, on the other hand, did not disclose any details about the conversation. Fedorov was "exchanged for nine Russian convicts," according to a BBC report based on media accounts.

A press spokeswoman for Zelensky told Ukrainian television that the Russian conscripts were between the ages of 18 and 19. Fedorov was brought to the Russian-occupied Luhansk region, where he is accused of terrorism, according to the military administration of the Zaporizhzhya region, where Melitopol is located, earlier this week. There were significant protests in the aftermath of his kidnapping.

Russian troops hindered a protest march demanding Fedorov's release in Berdyansk on Monday.

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