Zelensky transfers Odesa mayor's powers to newly created military administration, appoints its head
Editor's note: The story is being updated.
President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed Serhii Lysak, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast governor, as the head of the newly formed Odesa Military Administration on Oct. 15, according to a decree published on the presidential website.
The move came a day after Zelensky stripped the tainted Odesa Mayor Trukhanov of Ukrainian citizenship, effectively pushing him out of office.
Ukraine's Security Service has confirmed to the Kyiv Independent that Zelensky revoked Ukrainian citizenship of Trukhanov, ballet dancer Serhii Polunin, and former Ukrainian politician Oleg Tsaryov.
All three were accused of having Russian citizenship.
Trukhanov denies the allegations and promised to challenge the decision in court.
Loss or termination of Ukrainian citizenship can serve as grounds for removing a person from office, including an elected one, according to the law. In such a case, the mayor's duties are transferred to the city council secretary — a position currently held by Ihor Koval, a representative of Zelensky's Servant of the People party.
Trukhanov said on Oct. 15 that he remains in charge of the city and is not planning to leave Ukraine.
Petro Obukhov, a member of the Odesa City Council from the European Solidarity party, said that Lysak is effectively taking over the responsibilities of the city's mayor. He added that if the termination of Trukhanov's mayoral powers is officially confirmed through a legal procedure, the matter will be brought to a vote in the council.
"I don't think the city council will obstruct this process," Obukhov told the Kyiv Independent.
In the meantime, Oleksandr Slavskyi, a council member representing Zelensky's party, doubts a decision could be passed, as Trukhanov’s faction holds a majority in the council.
Under martial law, city military administrations are temporary bodies created in select settlements by presidential decree. These administrations operate under the president’s directives and can assume some of a city council's powers.
Kyiv is currently the only major city with such an administration. While its establishment was officially framed as a security measure to bolster the capital's defense, many observers interpreted it as a political move to diminish the authority of the capital's Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
A prolonged power struggle has since emerged between Klitschko and Tymur Tkachenko, who was appointed to lead the Kyiv City Military Administration, with recent Russian attacks on energy infrastructure adding further strain to the political standoff.
In his Oct. 15 evening address, Zelensky said that Odesa, a key Black Sea port city in southern Ukraine, "deserves greater protection and stronger support." A source in the President's Office told the Kyiv Independent on Oct. 14 that Lysak will take the position.
General Lysak has built career in Ukraine's Security Service. Following the start of Russia's all-out war, Lysak was appointed to a number of posts in different Ukrainian regions. He has served as the governor of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast since February 2023.
