A presidential commission has decided to strip Odesa Mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov of Ukrainian citizenship amid allegations he holds a Russian passport, the local outlet Dumskaya reported, citing unnamed sources
If President Volodymyr Zelensky signs the decree, Trukhanov would lose both citizenship and his mayoral mandate under Article 79 of Ukraine’s Law “On Local Self-Government,” Dumskaya reported. In that case, city council secretary Ihor Koval, a member of the Servant of the People party, would become acting mayor.
“There are a lot of rumors not confirmed officially, so I won’t comment. Let’s follow the letter of the law. Today I am performing the duties of the city council secretary, and what happens next, time will tell,” Koval told reporters.
Dumskaya also suggested Zelensky could establish a city military administration in Odesa that would report directly to Kyiv.
But other media disputed Dumskaya’s account. ZN.UA, citing a source close to the presidential citizenship commission, reported the panel had not considered or made any decision regarding Trukhanov as of now. “It’s not excluded that something could change in the evening, but at the moment there is nothing,” the source said.
On the eve of the reports, Trukhanov released a video message denying he holds Russian citizenship, calling the situation a provocation and noting similar claims have circulated since 2014.
Former Odesa city council secretary Oleksiy Potapsky warned that removing the mayor now could sow chaos amid ongoing strikes and the start of the heating season. “Like dominoes, different structures will start to fall. People will leave their posts because they worked by building certain relationships with the leadership. What happens next — will the president also move to remove the city council? How do you enter the heating season in such a situation? And all the negatives will now go directly to Zelensky. He removed Trukhanov, now a ‘president’s man’ will run the city,” he said.
In June, Trukhanov was filmed cursing while telling residents that Odesa is not a Russian city. He has also complained that territorial recruitment centers are mobilizing municipal workers on a daily basis.
