The Ukrainian government agreed to dismiss Zakarpattia Oblast Governor Viktor Mykyta from his post, Taras Melnychuk, the government's representative in the parliament, announced on Sept. 6. The decision must now be approved by the president.
The news comes against the backgrop of a broad government reshuffle that saw a number of ministers and other high-ranking officials resign.
Melnychuk did not specify the reason for the decision or whether Mykyta would be offered a new position in state administration if his dismissal was approved.
Opposition lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak suggested back in June that after Presidential Office deputy head Oleksii Kuleba is moved to a ministerial post, he would likely be replaced in the Presidential Office by a governor of some "western oblast."
Oleksii Kuleba was recently appointed as deputy prime minister for the restoration of Ukraine and minister for the development of communities and territories.
Kuleba's unified office will take over the duties of the reintegration ministry, whose head, Deputy Prime Minister and Reintegration Minister Iryna Vereshchuk, was also dismissed. For now, the reintegration ministry will be temporarily led by Vereshchuk's former deputy, Anatolii Stelmakh, according to Melnychuk.
Mykyta served in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) before being appointed the head of the southwestern Zakarpattia Oblast in 2021.
The decision on the dismissal was announced the same day as law enforcement officers reportedly searched the premises of the city council in Uzhhorod, the regional center of Zakarpattia Oblast.
The investigation concerns city administration officials allegedly demanding $15,000 from an entrepreneur for construction permits, Hromadske reported, citing its sources. City and regional administrations are separate institutions, and there is currently no indication that the two events are connected.
Chris York
(Updated: )
