The mayor of Hostomel, a municipality that hosts a military base northwest of Kiev, was deliberately shot by Russian troops, local authorities said Monday on Facebook.
Yuri Prylypko was distributing bread and medicine to the population when he was killed, as were two other employees, according to the local council.
No one had forced him to face enemy bullets. He could have, like hundreds of others, hidden in a cellar. But he had made his decision, the statement added, tracing part of his life and commitment since the Russian invasion. He died for the community, died for Hostomel, died a hero. Eternal remembrance and our gratitude, salutes the town hall.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine a week and a half ago, Hostomel has been emptied of most of its 16,000 inhabitants to flee the Russian advance.