Lutsk mayor resigns following anti-corruption investigation, says two not connected
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The Lutsk City Council voted on March 25 to terminate Mayor Ihor Polishchuk's tenure, according to Suspilne, with 38 council members supporting the measure.
He led the city since 2020.
Polishchuk said his choice to resign was “absolutely not related” to an investigation by Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), and declined to elaborate on his reasons for stepping down.
"As of today, I am not aware of any criminal proceedings against me. The reasons are different, and today I believe there is no need to go into detail," he said.
The council members also dismissed Yurii Bezpiatko, the secretary of the Lutsk City Council. Kateryna Shklioda was appointed in his place.
All three are members of the For the Future party (Za Maibutne), which is linked to oligarch Ihor Kolomoiskyi and led by his close associate, businessman and lawmaker Ihor Palytsia.
In mid-December 2025, NABU reported that it had recorded members of the regional and city councils in Lutsk Oblast receiving bribes totaling $30,000 related to land development for apartment buildings. Polishchuk was not specifically mentioned.
Suspilne reported in mid-December that searches were conducted by NABU at the Lutsk City Council and the Volyn Regional Council, during which detectives spoke with a number of officials, including Polishchuk. The mayor said at the time that his home was also searched but no documents or materials had been seized.
Political analysts interviewed by Suspilne said the land at the center of the alleged bribery scheme was municipally owned, and suggested that Polishcuk, in his role as mayor, may have drawn the scrutiny of anti-corruption authorities because of his potential influence over decisions on development approvals.
