Russians convinced Ukrainian army is terrorist organization holding cities hostage — ex-Kherson mayor

Former mayor of Kherson, Volodymyr Mykolaienko, who spent over three years in Russian captivity, shared this in an interview with Espreso TV.

He spoke about his conversations with Russians while in captivity:

“They tried [to persuade me], but you know, they were always convinced they were right, that the truth was on their side, and that we were some kind of naive people brainwashed by propaganda. They said that Right Sector, Azov, and Aidar patrol our streets and intimidate people, and that Ukrainians actually wanted to see the Russian army come, greeting them with flowers, bread, and salt. They truly believed that only these ‘fascists’ were preventing people from expressing their will. They were convinced, as they said, that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are a terrorist organization holding entire cities in Ukraine hostage. Just imagine that — that’s what they came to believe,” Mykolaienko said.

The former mayor added that during captivity, the Russians were forbidden from communicating closely with Ukrainian prisoners, but sometimes answered his questions honestly.

“When things were really bad and I thought I’d probably never get out of captivity, I asked one of the investigators: do you exchange bodies, or will you just throw me under a fence for dogs to tear apart? He replied: ‘No, body exchanges haven’t been canceled.’ That, in a way, gave me some comfort — I knew my family would at least get my body. Thank God, that didn’t happen. But they told me I’d never leave prison, that I’d die there. And truly, that was their mood. So I consider my release nothing short of a miracle,” he concluded.