Mayor of Velykoburlutska captured by Russian forces, says Ukrainian official

Russian forces have captured Viktor Tereshchenko, mayor of Ukraine's north-eastern settlement of Velykoburlutska, said Oleh Syniehubov, head of Kharkiv Regional State Administration, in a video message on Thursday.

"We have news today that (the Russians) captured the head of the Velykoburlutska community, Viktor Nikolaevich Tereshchenko. Such people need to have security. Victor Nikolaevich was kidnapped simply from his workplace and taken to the local police station. They are holding him and will not release him," Syniehubov said in the video.

He added that the locals condemn the act and that he is working to free the village leader as soon as possible.

"Soon our occupied territories will be ours again," he said.

While Russian forces have not taken Kharkiv, they "continue their terror against the civilian population, in particular against the heads of territorial communities of Kharkiv region today," Syniehubov added.

This comes a day after the mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, who had been captured by Russian forces, was freed as part of a prisoner swap.

Meanwhile, the conflict continued to rage on in Ukraine with at least 21 people killed and another 25 injured when Russian forces shelled the town of Merefa in Kharkiv, according to the regional prosecutor's office.

A US citizen identified as James Whitney Hill was among several people killed in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv on Thursday, Ukrainian police said. The US State Department confirmed the death and offered condolences to the family. "Out of respect to the family during this difficult time, we have no further comment," a spokesperson added.

( With inputs from ANI )

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