The Mayor of Chornomorsk Huliaiev is joining the Armed Forces of Ukraine but will retain his post

On Wednesday, 6 May, Vasyl Huliaiev, the mayor of Chornomorsk in the Odesa region, announced that he was joining the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

He posted a video message to that effect on social media, according to NikVesti.

According to Huliaiev, he will retain his position as mayor for the duration of his service.

«Today is a personal day for me. I have decided to join the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Believe me, this is my personal decision; I have made it for myself. I want to say that a great many people are writing, including in the media, that I am supposedly leaving my post, that I am supposedly hiding. I am not hiding from anyone and I will not hide. My position will remain mine for as long as I serve in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Whenever my contract ends or I return, I will return to our city to work. I want to say that the team remains, will continue to work and do everything to ensure that our city, as always, remains the wonderful city of Chornomorsk,» he said.

He also thanked the residents of the community and emphasised that he welcomes both support and constructive criticism.

«I would also like to thank you for the criticism that was constructive and could bring about change for our community. I am grateful for the criticism that we have accepted and tried to take on board,» noted the mayor.

At present, there is no official information regarding the terms of service and the organisation of the city council’s work during his absence.

It should be noted that this is already the second mayor to step down. Previously, Hennadii Trukhanov was stripped of his citizenship, after which the city administration in Odesa was reformed, with a military administration introduced.

Stripping the mayor of Odesa of his Ukrainian citizenship

On 12 October, the mayor of Odessa, Hennadii Trukhanov, stated that the Office of the President was preparing an initiative to strip him of his Ukrainian citizenship and described these intentions as part of «another provocation».

In less than a day, 25,000 people had signed a petition on the Office of the President’s website demanding that Hennadii Trukhanov be stripped of his Ukrainian citizenship due to his possession of a Russian passport. This initiative gained the necessary number of votes following the natural disaster on 30 September, in which ten people lost their lives. In response to these actions, Hennadii Trukhanov stated that he was prepared to undergo any test, including a polygraph, to prove that he does not hold a Russian passport.

Ukrainian journalists have repeatedly published investigations into Trukhanov’s Russian citizenship. This was reported by «Slidstvo.Info» and hromadske. In 2016, the Security Service of Ukraine began investigating the Odessa mayor’s links with Russia, but the agency later stated that it had been unable to determine whether he actually held a Russian passport.

However, on 14 October, Volodymyr Zelenskyy did strip Hennadii Trukhanov of his Ukrainian citizenship. The SSU confirmed the revocation of the Odesa mayor’s citizenship. They stated that copies of his Russian foreign passport were in the possession of the security service.

Following this, Odessa Mayor Hennadii Trukhanov told journalists that he had the support of the majority of the city’s residents and that he had no plans to leave Ukraine.

At the same time, investigative journalist Khristo Hrozev suggested that the Russian passport, on the basis of which Trukhanov was stripped of his Ukrainian citizenship, might be a forgery.

On 15 October, the president established a city military administration in Odesa and appointed its head. This role was taken by Ihor Lysak. The secretary of the city council, Ihor Koval, became the acting mayor of Odesa. It is also worth noting that all 22 of Trukhanov’s advisers were dismissed.

It should be noted that Hennadii Trukhanov continues to receive his pension, despite the revocation of his Ukrainian citizenship.