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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
A year ago, on 24 August, former Kherson mayor Volodymyr Mykolayenko was freed from Russian captivity. Yesterday he returned from the capital and met with the comrades who had been imprisoned with him. They were exchanged in June. They had been in captivity for more than 4 years. Being able to talk with them was a real gift for him on the eve of Independence Day.
The former Kherson mayor freed from captivity, Volodymyr Mykolayenko, said this on the air of 24 Channel, emphasizing that it is extremely important now that Ukrainian prisoners are being brought home, as happened on 24 August 2026 of this year.
On captivity and his view of independence
The former Kherson mayor noted that Russian captivity is a real concentration camp. He said it pains him to see that these “dungeons” continue to operate on the left bank.
When we hear that someone went to collaborate with the occupiers, we must understand: it is coercion and receiving a Russian passport. Without it you can’t even buy medicine. I am a living example of what happens if you refuse any cooperation. So for me, independence is above all freedom,
he said, Mykolayenko.
He explained that when you receive independence as a gift, you value it in a completely different way. He compared it to breathing.
When you breathe, you don’t feel the importance or necessity of breathing. And when you lose air, it’s the same as losing your will. Lose your will — you lose everything. I always said: I understood this from my father’s stories, when he told how they took grain from people, how in the village a teacher led children to the field to pick up three remaining ears of grain. They simply arrested the only teacher in the village. I say: they take away the will — they will take the bread and everything,
Mykolayenko emphasized.
But now, in his words, it is clear that Russia has come to take not only bread but the lives of Ukrainians and their children. He is convinced that concessions such as withdrawing the Armed Forces of Ukraine from Donetsk as part of a "peace plan" previously proposed will not stop the Russian army. He stressed that the Kremlin will not stop until it destroys Ukrainians and that there is no faith in Russia.
He continued that one should not hope that if Ukraine agrees to give up a bit of its independence, part of its territory, Russia will calm down. No — as the former Kherson mayor stressed, that will not happen. Our faith must be, he said, only in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and in the Ukrainian people.
I want to especially thank the Armed Forces of Ukraine for the enormous gift they gave us, which we are still celebrating. We will continue to celebrate: we, our grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. This will be our permanent holiday that no one will take away, as before they took away our independence. I never liked when they said: oh, we have 20 years, 30 years, 35 years of independence. No — the return of independence. Exactly. I insist on that,
Mykolayenko concluded.
Full version of the interview with Volodymyr Mykolayenko: watch the video
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Це як втратити повітря: звільнений з полону ексмер Херсона не стримав сліз в День Незалежності". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Channel 24.
