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Volodymyr is a Ukrainian politician and public figure, former mayor of Kherson (2014–2020). Before being elected mayor, he served as a deputy of the Kherson City Council of the 5th and 6th convocations. In May 2014, he became the City Council secretary and later was elected mayor of Kherson. In 2015, he was re-elected for a second term, holding the position until November 2020. After the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Mykolaienko joined the territorial defense. He categorically refused to collaborate with the occupiers when they demanded that he take on the role of “mayor” under Russian occupation. On April 18, 2022, he was abducted by Russian forces. Initially, he was held in Kherson, later transferred to Crimea, and then to a penal colony in Russia’s Vladimir region. In captivity, he endured torture, hunger, and psychological pressure. Despite offers to be included in a prisoner exchange, in 2022 he gave up his spot to a gravely ill cellmate. For more than three years he remained imprisoned, with his family and international organizations having no confirmation of whether he was alive. On August 24, 2025, Ukraine’s Independence Day, Volodymyr was freed during a major prisoner exchange. He returned extremely weakened but unbroken, welcomed with warmth and nationwide support. His first words after release were: “Glory to Ukraine!”
