KHARKIV - The Sloviansk City Council on Wednesday voted against the resignation of the city's acting mayor, Oleksandr Samsonov.
“There were ten votes for and 24 against the resignation. These (who voted “against”) are from Samsonov’s entourage, Party of Regions deputies. They are sabotaging this issue, they don’t care that the city has no top official, no boss,” city councilor Serhiy Savchenko told Interfax by phone on July 23.
Samsonov was held on July 15 right at a meeting that focused on rebuilding the cities freed by the Ukrainian troops from militias. The head of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry’s Internal Security Department, Valeriy Bodnar, said that Samsonov was arrested as part of a criminal inquiry into the formation of illegal armed groups, and brought to the town of Izium in Kharkiv region.
He is being charged with setting up unlawful paramilitary or military groups (Article 260 of the Criminal Code).
Bodnar said the criminal inquiry was launched after Sloviansk residents complained about Samsonov’s collaboration with the separatists.
