"I don't want to go to prison": Sienkevych explained what he is afraid of

The mayor of Mykolaiv, Oleksandr Sienkevych spoke about preparations for City Day, which this year will be celebrated on September 12, 2026. Mykolaiv will turn 237 years old, but due to the ongoing threat of Russian attacks the authorities do not plan to disclose the full program of events in advance.

This, Oleksandr Sienkevych said in a NikLife article. According to him, a street culture festival is planned alongside City Day, and a stage is to be installed in the center of Mykolaiv. The mayor noted that the organizers want to make the program more interesting than last year, but are forced to take the security situation into account. The PN outlet also published information about his comment.

Speaking about the planned festival and the format of the celebrations, Oleksandr Sienkevych emphasized that all decisions will depend on the security situation in Mykolaiv.

“There will be a Street Music Fest, it will take place and we will have a stage standing in the city center. Well, we will try, given all these security situations, to somehow make it better than last year”. – the mayor said.

Separately, Oleksandr Sienkevych explained why the city authorities are cautious about organizing events with large crowds. The mayor recalled the Russian strike on a shopping center in Kryvyi Rih and the criminal proceedings initiated after the tragedy.

“You know, none of us, including me, wants to take responsibility so that it doesn’t end up like in Kryvyi Rih after the rocket hit in this… that now they are putting the director of that shopping center in prison. I don’t want to go to prison because someone wants to have fun on City Day”.

At the same time, Oleksandr Sienkevych‘s remarks about the situation in Kryvyi Rih require clarification. According to official information from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine dated August 22, 2026, law enforcement notified of suspicion not the director of the shopping center itself, but the director of one of the supermarkets that operated in this mall. This concerns a criminal proceeding on the grounds of official negligence.

The Ministry’s official statement also did not say that the manager is already “being put in prison”. Law enforcement informed him of suspicion and continue to investigate whether visitors and employees were properly informed about the danger, whether an evacuation order was given in time, and whether access to shelter was provided.

The Russian attack on the mall in Kryvyi Rih occurred on August 21, 2026. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as a result of the strike 16 people were killed and about 130 others were injured. Approximately 20 minutes passed from the moment the air-raid alert was announced to the first impact.

Last year City Day in Mykolaiv also took place under martial law. Mass festivities in the traditional format were not held; instead, a number of local cultural, sports and commemorative events were organized. In particular, there was a charity run in support of the Armed Forces, a youth regatta, award ceremonies and an exhibition called “Alley of Unbreakable Cities”.

Previously we wrote:

• Oleksandr Sienkevych attended the award ceremony for City Day in Ternopil
• They helped hold the front: ‘For the Defense of the City’ medals were presented in Mykolaiv
• For City Day: a new honorary distinction — ‘Badge of Honor of the City of Mykolaiv’
• Sails over the Bug: a youth regatta kicked off on Mykolaiv’s City Day
• “Alley of Unbreakable Cities” in Mykolaiv: fragments of Russian rockets became a symbol of remembrance