Sienkevych congratulating Kim on his appointment as head of the Ministry of Veterans’ Affairs: «He has never put pressure on local authorities»

Oleksandr Sienkevych, Mayor of Mykolaiv, and Vitalii Kim, former Head of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration. Photo: Ministry of Community and Territorial Development of Ukraine

The Mayor of Mykolaiv, Oleksandr Sienkevych, congratulated the former Head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration, Vitalii Kim, on his appointment as Head of the Ministry of Veterans’ Affairs. The mayor noted that the head of the Regional State Administration had not put pressure on the local government nor attempted to divert funds from the city budget to the region, as he is also a member of the city council.

Oleksandr Sienkevych wrote about this on Facebook.

The mayor recalled that he had met Vitalii Kim back when he was still in business, and noted that the position of head of the Regional State Administration had not changed him.

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Oleksandr Sienkevych also recalled how, at the start of the war, they had worked together and, despite their differing approaches, had joined forces to defend Mykolaiv.

«He always viewed the situation with optimism, whilst I viewed it with a certain degree of scepticism. Once, during a meeting, someone said to me: ‘At the start of the war, we listened to both you and Kim to understand what was really going on, because the truth lay somewhere in between. I suppose that is the best illustration of how we worked together. During the hardest months of 2022, we did not always see eye to eye on our assessments or approaches, but we were always united on the main thing — to defend Mykolaiv, support the people and hold the city. It was then that this open dialogue, and subsequently the trust, between the city and regional authorities was forged,» wrote Oleksandr Sienkevych.

The mayor noted that Vitalii Kim was simultaneously head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration and a member of the Mykolaiv City Council. According to Oleksandr Sienkevych, the head of the Regional State Administration did not attempt to divert funds from the city budget to the region.

«He did not try to divert funds from the city to the region; on the contrary, he put forward sound arguments to reduce Mykolaiv’s share of co-financing for state projects. Now that he is no longer in office, I can say openly: he never put pressure on the local authorities. The model of cooperation between the Mykolaiv region and the city of Mykolaiv is unique in Ukraine and can serve as an example for other regions,» said Oleksandr Sienkevych.

He mentioned cooperation with Denmark and the importance of coordination between the Ukrainian government, the region and the city.

Oleksandr Sienkevych concluded that Vitalii Kim understands veterans’ problems from first-hand experience, as he was in constant contact with them, just as he was with the military.

«Throughout the years of the war, Vitalii spoke not only with military personnel but also directly with veterans on a daily basis. He therefore has a deep understanding of their problems, not from documents but from first-hand experience. I am confident that in his new role, it is precisely this experience that will be his main tool. I wish Vitaliy strength, wisdom and his trademark optimism in his new role. I am confident that he will achieve great things there too,» wrote the mayor of Mykolaiv.

As a reminder, on 16 July, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine voted to appoint a new Cabinet of Ministers. Among the new government officials is Vitalii Kim, head of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration, who has taken the helm of the Ministry of Veterans’ Affairs.

In his video address on 17 July, he promised to champion the interests of the Mykolaiv region in the state budget.

Earlier, Vitalii Kim stated that he was not considering standing in the presidential election, and also that he was not interested in «positions of power».

In January 2026, Oleksandr Sienkevych stated that he saw no political rivalry between himself and Vitalii Kim, and that their relationship was purely professional.