Kharkiv Mayor Hennadiy Kernes plans to return to Kharkiv at the end of December, said businessman and Kernes' friend Pavlo Fuks.

"I talked with Hennadiy Adolfovych. I asked how he was feeling, and he asked in response: how is Kharkiv preparing for the New Year? Relatives showed him photos and videos. He liked it. He says hello to Kharkiv and Kharkiv residents. He plans to be at home on December 30," Fuks wrote on his Telegram channel late Monday night.

As reported, Kernes has not appeared in public since late August. He has confirmed COVID-19 and bilateral pneumonia. On September 10, he was admitted to the 17th city hospital. On September 15, director of the department for information and public relations of Kharkiv City Council Yuriy Sydorenko said that Kernes' condition was consistently grave. On the night of September 17, Kernes was transported by a specialized plane from Kharkiv to Berlin for treatment at the Charite clinic.

On October 2, Fuks reported that Kernes had tested negative for COVID-19.

On November 3, director of the department for information and public relations of the city council Sydorenko denied the information about Kernes' death spread by anonymous telegram channels.