An online session of the city council is being convened in Pivdennoukrainsk: councillors have been unable to meet since February

The Pivdennoukrainsk City Council has been unable to hold a meeting since February. Photo: Pivdennoukrainsk City Council

The Pivdennoukrainsk City Council has been unable to convene since February and has been postponing its sessions. The next session has been scheduled for 16 June. This time, it is planned to be held via videoconference.

The order to postpone the 69th session was signed on 10 June by the secretary of the Pivdennoukrainsk City Council, Denys Kravchenko, according to NikVesti.

The last time councillors met for a session was on 22 January 2026. Following this, on 13 February, the Mayor of Pivdennoukrainsk, Valerii Onufriienko, signed an order convening the 69th session, but the meeting has not yet taken place.

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In particular, on 27 May, City Council Secretary Denys Kravchenko signed an order postponing the meeting to 4 June. No details were given regarding the format of the session.

On 4 June, a new order appeared — postponing the session to 11 June. It was to be held in a hybrid format.

And an order dated 10 June states that the session is to be postponed to 16 June and held via videoconference.

Order postponing the session to 4 June. Screenshot from the city council website

Order postponing the session to 11 June and holding it in a hybrid format. Screenshot from the city council website

Order postponing the session to 16 June and holding it via video conference. Screenshot from the city council website

Among the draft decisions not considered by councillors, are amendments to the 2026 budget, approval of the Socio-Economic Development Programme, amendments to the Education Development Programme, the structure and staffing levels of the executive bodies of the Pivdennoukrainsk City Council, and the setting of land tax rates and rent.

In addition, the city council is to approve the use of a grant from Denmark via NEFCO for a project to reconstruct sewage pumping stations and a pressure pipeline.

Furthermore, two city council members — Serhii Snitkov and Anzhela Savastru — have submitted applications for early resignation. The applications are to be considered at the session.

As a reminder, the head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration, Vitalii Kim, has submitted documents to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy requesting the establishment of a municipal military administration in Pivdennoukrainsk. According to the head of the Regional Military Administration, there is a misunderstanding between the councillors and the mayor, which is why the city has been neglected.

The crisis of authority in Pivdennoukrainsk

As a reminder, in 2025, city councillors in Pivdennoukrainsk were unable to convene for several consecutive sessions, meaning the city still does not have an approved budget for 2026. Consequently, Mayor Valerii Onufrienko appealed to the head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration, Vitalii Kim, requesting the establishment of a military administration in the Pivdennoukrainsk municipal territorial community.

Since February 2026, councillors have once again been unable to convene for a session.

The MP stated that there are plans to establish a military administration in Pivdennoukrainsk. According to the MP, ‘Energoatom’, the Office of the President and the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration are intervening in this process to control the budget.

Earlier, the head of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration, Vitalii Kim, said that he saw no legal grounds for introducing a military administration in Pivdennoukrainsk at the request of Mayor Valerii Onufriienko, but that the matter would still be investigated.

Heorhii Reshetilov, deputy head of the Regional State Administration, also explained that the decision to establish a military administration is taken by the president, and for this there must be grounds clearly defined by law. This must either be linked to military consequences or the suspension of local self-government bodies.

In May 2026, the mayor of Pivdennoukrainsk, Valerii Onufrienko, told NikVesti that there is currently a need to introduce a military administration in the city.

As of the end of May, Vitalii Kim, head of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration, had already submitted the necessary documents. The decision must be finally approved by the president.