10 March 2026
(Mykhailo Lazarenko. PHOTO: Facebook)
Deputies of the Podil district council in Odesa region were called to an extraordinary session due to the scandal over the dismissal of the head of the district military administration , Mykhailo Lazarenko.
As the head of the RMA told Intent, the deputies were scheduled to consider a motion of no confidence in him.
However, Mykhailo Lazarenko noted that if the deputies make such a decision, he will appeal it in court. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has approved the dismissal of Mykhailo Lazarenko, head of the Podil District Military Administration of Odesa Region, based on his resignation, which he said was forged.
Currently, a criminal proceeding has been registered in the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations under Part 3 of Article 358 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - forgery of documents. The reason for this was Mykhailo Lazarenko's statement that his handwritten statement and signature were forged.
Journalist Oksana Pidnesna said that the head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, Oleh Kiper, may be involved. However, as Oleh Kiper's spokeswoman Nadiya Maksymets explained to Intent, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approves appointments and dismissals, not the head of the regional administration.
The district administration told Intent that the Cabinet of Ministers approved the dismissal based on a submission from the head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, but that the police should investigate who falsified the application. The Cabinet of Ministers also received a photocopy of the statement from the OMA.
Mykhailo Lazarenko became the head of the Podil District Administration in August 2020. Prior to that, he was elected as a deputy of the Balta District Council of the IV, V, VI convocations, and was a deputy of the Odesa Regional Council of the VII convocation. The presidential decree on the dismissal of Mykhailo Lazarenko has not yet been made public.
Кирило Бойко