Zelensky appoints head of newly created military administration as Odesa mayor says he's still in charge
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.
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 city council.
Serhii Dubovyk, deputy head of Ukraine's Central Election Commission, told Ukrainska Pravda that Trukhanov may lose his position once the city council receives the presidential decree revoking his citizenship.
Opposition lawmaker Oleksii Honcharenko said Lysak’s appointment doesn’t mean Trukhanov’s powers are transferred to the military administration. Even if Trukhanov is ousted, he said, both positions can operate simultaneously.
Under martial law, city military administrations are temporary bodies created in given settlements by a 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 a military administration in place. 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 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."
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.
The events unfold as some political observers point to mounting central government pressure on local officials.
"The issue is not about Trukhanov at all, but about the fact that there is a law, there is local self-governance, and there is the Constitution of Ukraine," Honcharenko told the Kyiv Independent. "The very essence of local self-governance is autonomy, not when the president appoints whoever he considers fit."
