Kherson Mayor Igor Kolykhaev was added to the list of prisoners of the Russian Federation
The mayor of Kherson was kidnapped by Russian soldiers in June 2022. Son Svyatoslav said the Red Cross reported on September 13 that Russia had placed his father on the prisoner list. It is known that the mayor of Kherson is located on the territory of the Russian Federation.
The Red Cross has officially confirmed that Kherson Mayor Igor Kolykhaev is in Russian captivity. His son Svyatoslav Kolykhaev told Suspilny about this.
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 had put my father Igor Kolykhaev on the prisoner list and he was on the territory of the Russian Federation. They did not record where exactly he was or what his health status was. His status was also updated in the personal coordination office of the headquarters,” said the son of the Kherson mayor.
We would like to remind you that Igor Kolykhaev has been missing since June 2022. City Council Secretary Galina Lugovaya reported that Russian military personnel arrested the city’s mayor because he was unwilling to cooperate with the occupation administration of the Russian Federation.
It is known that after the full-scale Russian invasion, Kolykhaev did not leave the occupied city and always stayed in the occupied regional center. Almost immediately, the occupiers dismissed the mayor and “appointed” in his place Alexander Kobts, a native of Kherson who had previously lived in Kiev for a long time.
After Kolykhaev’s disappearance became known on July 7, 2022, the powers of the Kherson mayor were temporarily exercised by the secretary of the city council, Galina Lugovaya. And on March 2, 2023, President Vladimir Zelensky appointed Roman Mrochko as the new head of the Kherson city military administration.
On September 17, the death of the former head of the Kherson regional state administration, Gennady Laguta, became known. He was considered a close associate of Kolykhaev. No official information was given about the causes of death. Journalists from the local publication Most, citing their sources, noted that Laguta died on the night of September 17 in one of Kiev’s hospitals. Later, Kherson Regional Council deputy Sergei Khlan said that Laguta allegedly committed suicide by taking a fatal dose of pills. According to the politician, the former head of the Kherson regional state administration decided to take such a step due to allegations of Kherson’s surrender.
