Exclusive interview: Ukrainian mayor of Mykolaiv describes how he stays alive amid the war

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Colin Freeman, Foreign Correspondent for the Telegraph spoke with Mykolaiv's mayor, Oleksandr Syenkevych.
A former tech entrepreneur, Mr Syenkevych, 40, entered politics in the wake of Ukraine's Maidan revolution in 2014, which ousted a corrupt pro-Kremlin government. He sees himself as part of a new generation of younger politicians, ousting a Soviet-era old guard who tend to be closer to Russia.
"The Russians try to kidnap mayors to exchange for prisoners of war," he said during a coffee-stop interview at a downtown cafe. "They've even sent me text messages saying that if I want Mykolaiv to avoid the fate of Mariupol, I should surrender the city. They think we're totalitarian like them, that I can decide for every citizen."
Mr Syenkevych sleeps in a different house every night. He also packs a pistol, lest a Russian snatch squad come looking.
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