[7][5] Senkevych and other city officials were prepared to engage in combat themselves; he was equipped with a pistol and had automatic rifles stored in his office.

[10][11] Senkevych said in June that he had received multiple messages from Russian forces asking him to surrender the city.

His team, along with foreign supervisors, conducted "integrity assessments" of and introduced corporate-style governance to municipal utilities firms, such as the local water company.

[3] In April 2023, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen visited Mykolaiv and met Senkevych.

The visit and meeting convinced Frederiksen to accept Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's proposal to have Denmark rebuild parts of Ukraine.