Mayor: Russia brings spy squads into occupied Melitopol

Spy squads from Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) have arrived in the Russian-occupied city of Melitopol in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Oblast to search for pro-Ukrainian residents, exiled Mayor Ivan Fedorov reported on June 5.

"We can only guess for what purpose they do it and what can await our people," Fedorov said, urging Melitopol residents to be cautious.

Earlier, Ukraine's National Resistance Center reported that Russian FSB officers disguised themselves as civilians to learn about partisans in the occupied Ukrainian territories.

Partisan movement is active in Meltipol and other Russian-occupied cities of Ukraine, targeting local collaborators or destroying Russian military equipment and personnel. Moscow usually blames Ukraine for such incidents, while Kyiv doesn't take responsibility for the explosions.

Melitopol, a city with a population of about 150,000 people, has been occupied since late February 2022.

The city serves as a railway center for Russian forces in southern Ukraine and is part of the land bridge that links Russia to the occupied Crimean peninsula.

‘They’ll kill me if I come back’: Abduction, torture become routine in Russian-occupied Melitopol

In a rare glimpse, the Kyiv Independent talked to some who escaped Russian-occupied Melitopol and learned what’s happening behind the curtain of Russia’s occupation. Since Melitopol fell to Russian forces in March 2022, the city’s residents constantly fear being kidnapped, sometimes in broad dayligh…

The Kyiv IndependentAlexander Query