An advisor to the mayor of Mykolaiv accused a colleague of sabotaging the moment of silence

Gennadiy Zadyrko, a special advisor to the mayor of Mykolaiv on matters concerning veterans, the families of fallen defenders, and prisoners of war, publicly criticized another advisor to the mayor, Anatoliy Dyumin. The reason was the situation surrounding the introduction of a moment of silence at city markets.

Gennadiy Zadyrko wrote about this on his Facebook page.

According to him, over the past few days, he and Oleksandr Kurlyak, head of the Mykolaiv City Council’s Department of Consumer Market Development, have been holding meetings with representatives of markets and retail establishments. Business owners were urged to participate in the nationwide minute of silence every day.

Zadyrko noted that the markets near the Old Train Station, as well as the station itself, began observing the minute of silence the very next day after the discussion.

At the same time, according to the mayor’s advisor, he was unable to arrange a meeting with the management of the markets, which he associates with Anatoliy Dyumin. Zadyrko stated that over the course of two days, he was unable to meet with the head of the markets or obtain the owner’s contact information.

In his post, Zadyrko sharply criticized Dyumin, mentioning his political past and his desire—according to the author of the post—to receive awards. 

“They say that Anatoliy Hryhorovych (the owner) is literally ‘strangling’ the authorities just to get another award. Well, the man loves his medals… To be honest, though, I have absolutely no idea—what for?
— For his loyal service to the Party of Regions as a city council member for many years? Or perhaps for commanding a Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance unit on the Kinburn Spit?” he wrote.

After that, Zadyrko publicly appealed to Anatoliy Dyumin, calling on him to personally introduce a minute of silence at the markets associated with him.

“But seriously, Anatoly Grigoryevich, set an example for everyone. Start with yourself—play the minute of silence at your markets. I hope that, as you lease city land that you’ve turned into slums, you understand that your business exists today thanks to the courage of the people of Mykolaiv, who are currently defending our city,” Zadyrko wrote.

Anatoly Dyumin has served as a special advisor to the mayor of Mykolaiv on socio-economic issues since 2021. At the time of publication, his response to Gennady Zadyrko’s statements had not been publicly reported.

What Is Known About the Minute of Silence

In March 2026, Ukraine enacted legislation establishing a nationwide daily minute of silence. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the corresponding law.

Starting in May,a signalmarking the minute of silence began to be broadcast daily at 9:00 a.m. through public address systems in populated areas. Loudspeakers are also used during certain nationwide commemorative events, such as the “Light a Candle” campaign on Holodomor Remembrance Day.

Ірина Глухова