Live updates: Ukraine mayor, 9 Russian conscripts released

LVIV, Ukraine — Russian forces freed the mayor of the Ukrainian city of Melitopol in exchange for nine of their captured conscripts, an official from Ukraine’s presidential office said Wednesday.

Kyiv accused the Russians of kidnapping Mayor Ivan Fedorov about a week ago. Surveillance video showed him being marched out of city hall apparently surrounded by Russian soldiers.

Residents of Melitopol, a city in southeast currently under Russian control, have been protesting to demand his release.

Daria Zarivna, spokeswoman of the head of Ukraine’s president’s office, said Wednesday that Fedorov has been released from captivity, and Russia “got nine of its captive soldiers, born in 2002-2003, practically children, conscripts Russia’s Defense Ministry said weren’t there.”

Moscow initially denied sending conscripts to fight in Ukraine, but later the Russian military admitted that some conscripts have been involved in the offensive and even got captured by Ukrainian forces.

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KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:

— Russian attacks batter Ukraine as Putin warns of ‘traitors’

— War is squeezing the life out of despairing Mariupol, one blast at a time

— Berlin train station turns into refugee town for Ukrainians fleeing war

— Biden flatly calls Putin a war criminal, but investigations for determining that have only begun

— Different styles, missions displayed in speeches by Biden and Zelenskyy

— Zelenskyy unites Republicans and Democrats 2 years after featuring in divisive US impeachment

— Go to https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine for updates throughout the day.

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WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING TODAY:

UNITED NATIONS — The U.N....