Ihor Kolykhaiev (Mayor Kherson)

The International Committee of the Red Cross has confirmed the status of the captured Kherson Mayor Igor Kolyhayev. Kolyhayev’s son Svyatoslav reported this information to the Society. According to him, the status was officially confirmed on September 13, 2023.

“I contacted the Red Cross and they told me that the Russian side submitted my father Igor Kolyhayev to the list of prisoners and he is in the territory of the Russian Federation. They did not say where exactly or about his health. His status was also updated in the personal office of the coordination headquarters,” said the son of the captured mayor.

Interview with Major Ihor Kolyhayev (May 14, 2022 – still in office)
“If expectation turns into disappointment, it will be difficult for us to save people” — interview with the mayor of temporarily occupied Kherson


Timeline

(More detailed information on the timeline facts.)

On April 25, 2022, the Russian military seized the building of the Kherson City Council.

On April 26, 2022, Kolykhaev appealed to the President’s Office regarding the illegal appointment of the occupying power.

On May 5, 2022, Kherson Mayor Ihor Kolykhaev announced that he was staying in the city and working remotely.

On May 11, 2022, Kolykhaev again addressed the Office of the President of Ukraine with an official statement.

On June 28, 2022, in Kherson, the Russian military kidnapped the mayor of Kherson, Igor Kolykhaev , his advisor Galina Lyashevska reported.

The next day, the police of the Kherson region opened criminal proceedings on the fact of the kidnapping of Kherson city mayor Ihor Kolykhaev by the Russian military.

Since the mayor is the bearer of electronic keys in calculating wages and all social payments for the Kherson Territorial Community, a third of the calculation of budgetary payments was at risk.

From July 7, 2022, the powers of the Kherson mayor were temporarily performed by the secretary of the city council, Halyna Luhova .

On March 2, 2023, Zelensky appointed Roman Mrochka as the new head of the Kherson City Military Administration.