Ukraine: Russian Forces Killed One Mayor, Hold 11 Others Captive

Russian forces held 11 mayors of Ukrainian local areas captive and killed one in detention, the Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister announced on Sunday.

In a message posted to social media, Iryna Vereshchuk said 11 local mayors from Kyiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv and the Donetsk regions "are in Russian captivity."

Vereshchuk added that Ukraine will "inform the International Committee of the Red Cross, the UN and other organizations about their captivity."

The Ukrainian government was notified on Saturday that Olga Sukhenko, the mayor of Motyzhyn -- a village in the Kyiv region -- was killed in captivity by Russian forces.

The minister called the tragic incident a war crime, affirming that those responsible will be punished in line with international humanitarian law." She also asserted that Ukraine will push to ensure "our civilians, our mayors, priests, journalists, and activists are liberated" from detention.

At least 20 civilians were dead in the town of Bucha, northwest of Kyiv following the withdrawal of Russian forces from the area in shocking images released by AFP on Saturday.