The leadership of the Kherson Regional Council officially appealed to the Chargé d’Affaires of the United States in Ukraine, Julie Davis, asking for assistance in returning home the mayor of Hola Prystan, Oleksandr Babych, who was kidnapped by the Russians.
This was reported by the first deputy head of the regional council, Yurii Sobolevskyi, in a comment to “Ukrinform”.
According to the official, Babych’s health in captivity has critically deteriorated: he has lost almost half his weight and has problems with his blood pressure.
The appeal to American partners emphasizes that Babych and other community leaders became victims of abductions precisely because of their patriotic stance at the start of the invasion. Currently, at least six heads of Ukrainian communities are held in Russian captivity.
The son of the kidnapped mayor, Dmytro Babych, confirmed that the family places great hopes on US support, as they receive news about his father only from Ukrainians released from captivity.
As of the beginning of February this year, the Russians were holding Oleksandr Babych in SIZO-2 in the city of Taganrog in the Russian Federation.
The mayor of Hola Prystan was kidnapped by Russian forces on March 28, 2022, at around 8 a.m. from his own home. After that he disappeared without official status, charges, or a verdict and was held for a long time by the Russian side in an incommunicado regime.
It is known that on the eve of Babych’s abduction a People’s Deputy threatened him Oleksii Kovalov. Deputy mayor Linnik indicated that on February 24, 2022, Kovalov called her and said: “Tell your boss that sleepless days and nights are beginning for him.”