‘Ready to Fight’: Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko Shrugs Off Russia Kidnapping Threat

Appearing Monday on the Fox News Channel’s America Reports, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko brushed aside threats of kidnapping by the Russian military as Moscow’s war on Ukraine continues.

A transcript is as follows:

JOHN ROBERTS: I wanted to ask you about the south of the city, Russian forces have kidnapped mayors and installed puppet mayors to run the cities. What do you say to Putin about what he is doing down there?

VITALI KLITSCHKO: The mayor is the president of the community. [W]ar has rules. Never touch children, never touch women. But Russians don’t want the rules and what they want is the symbol, symbol of the city, symbol of community. They can’t stop the mood of the people and that’s why they kidnap; Kidnap the mayor, and it’s actually against all rules and we see how unfriendly, how inhuman activity make Russians in our land. […]

I am ready to fight. This will be not easy to do that. Every citizen, nobody is safe, nobody feels safe in our country right now in this very difficult situation. But everyone is ready to fight, ready to defend our city, and I am not worried about the kidnap. I am ready to fight, that’s why I have weapons, that’s why it’s my hometown and I want to defend the interest of my citizens, the interest of my home, the interest of my family.