Odesa Mayor Gennady Trukhanov stated that he does not hold Russian citizenship and called the dissemination of such claims a provocation. He stated that on October 13, a presidential commission may consider revoking his Ukrainian citizenship.
Gennady Trukhanov published a corresponding statement on his Telegram channel on October 12.
Today, the Odessa publication Dumskaya, citing its own sources, reported that a commission under the Ukrainian president has decided to strip Gennady Trukhanov of his Ukrainian citizenship, and now Volodymyr Zelenskyy must sign the corresponding decree.
According to Article 79 of the Law "On Local Self-Government in Ukraine," the mayor's powers terminate upon the city council's decision to acknowledge the fact of citizenship deprivation, the publication states.
According to media reports, Igor Koval, secretary of the city council and "servant of the people," will become acting mayor.
"There are a lot of rumors right now that haven't been officially confirmed, so I won't comment on them. Let's adhere to the letter of the law. Today, I'm serving as the city council secretary, and what happens next, time will tell," he said.
At the same time, a source close to the commission told Dzerkalo Tyzhnya that it had not yet considered or made a decision on Trukhanov.
“It’s possible that something will change in the evening, but right now there’s nothing,” the source said.
According to Suspilne Odesa , Odesa City Council Secretary Ihor Koval reported that Mayor Gennady Trukhanov is in the city and continues to perform his duties. The mayor's office has not received any official documents regarding the possible deprivation of his citizenship.
"Gennady Trukhanov is in Odessa, as far as I know. He held a meeting this morning with his deputies and department directors. Until there are official documents and explanations, everything will remain as is," Koval noted.
According to him, the Odessa City Council has not yet received any official decisions or notifications.
"I believe this should be a presidential decree, then everything will be completely clear. We still haven't had any official documents or decisions in the Odesa City Council," the secretary added.
