The mayor of Sviatohirsk, Volodymyr Bandura, has been in the spotlight for reportedly turning his back on the President Vladimir Putin when the team Russia rule the city Ukraine which he led.
Bandura began to be in the spotlight on Monday (13/6), when Denis Pushilin as the leader of a pro-Russian separatist group in Donetsk, Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), uploaded a photo of him with Bandura.
Through the upload on the Telegram social network, Pushilin claimed that Bandura had now joined the DPR.
“We’ve been in touch with him [Bandura] since a long time ago. Like many residents of Sviatohirsk, he awaits release and he supports special operations [Rusia],” wrote Pushilin, as reported by CNN.
Pushilin uploaded this photo when Russian troops had taken control of Sviatohirsk. According to Pushilin, Bandura never left its citizens when Russia attacked.
“In difficult times, Volodymyr did not abandon his duties. He was respected and supported by the people, so I offered him the position of head of the government of the City of Sviatohirsk,” Pushilin wrote.
The city in the east of Donetsk is considered one of the most important regions for Russia. Sviatohirsk is located on the Siverskyi Donets River which is one of Russia’s main routes to Sloviansk in the south.
The day after Pushilin posted the statement, the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s office announced that it was investigating Bandura on suspicion of treason under martial law.
According to them, Bandura was being investigated for “moving in favor of the enemy’s side” and spreading through the media “a promise in which he promoted Russian ideas.”
(has)
–
