Russian-abducted Kherson ex-mayor gives up his prisoner exchange slot to aid sick POW

Zmina reported the information.

At a special OSCE event organized by several human rights groups, Anna Korshun-Samchuk, the niece of former Kherson Mayor Volodymyr Mykolayenko, said her uncle was abducted by Russian forces in April 2022. She shared that he was meant to be released in a prisoner exchange but gave up his spot to help a seriously ill prisoner go free instead.

According to her, Volodymyr Mykolayenko was first held in occupied Crimea, then moved to Penal Colony No. 7 in Pakino, in Russia’s Vladimir region. She said he is being kept in inhumane conditions without medical care.

There is still no official information on whether he has been formally charged or sentenced in Russia, so his legal status remains unclear.

Former prisoners told Anna that in 2022, Volodymyr Mykolayenko was being prepared for an exchange. However, he asked for another prisoner — who had gangrene in his leg and was in critical condition — to be released instead, fearing the man wouldn’t survive in Russian captivity. After that, the Russian side stopped including Mykolayenko in any exchange lists.

• On May 2, six Ukrainian children, including one who was seriously ill and couldn’t receive treatment in the temporarily occupied territories, were brought back to Ukrainian-controlled territory.