Former Odessa Mayor Trukhanov alleges political retaliation through the revocation of his citizenship

The former mayor of Odesa, Trukhanov, said that he learned about the revocation of his Ukrainian citizenship from journalists on his way to work. According to him, the decision was made based on a "photocopy of a Russian passport" that contained errors in his last name, and without any explanation or summons to appear before the commission.

Trukhanov made these remarks during a conversation with MP Oleksiy Honcharenko.

The former mayor of Odesa said that the decree stripping him of Ukrainian citizenship was adopted without his involvement and without providing official documents. According to the official, he learned of the decision on October 14, 2025, from journalists’ reports while he was on his way to city hall.

Trukhanov claimed that for a long time he was unable to obtain a copy of the presidential decree or the case file. Only after his lawyers filed an appeal and a lawsuit with the Supreme Court, he said, did authorities begin to provide some of the documents. He stated that the grounds for revoking his citizenship were allegedly a photocopy of his Russian passport and a contract with a lawyer—documents he considered questionable. The mayor of Odesa emphasized that the copy of the passport even contained spelling errors in his last name.

He also stated that he had not been summoned to the commission meeting and had not been asked to provide an explanation before the decision was made. He also pointed out the contradictions in the responses from the State Migration Service: initially, the Odesa regional office allegedly stated that it had not prepared a submission regarding the loss of citizenship, but court documents later revealed that it was the regional department of the State Migration Service that had participated in preparing the materials.

The former mayor also stated that even after being stripped of his citizenship, he retained access to state secrets until October 30, 2025. According to him, the permit was revoked only after his lawyer appealed to the SBU and other authorities.

Trukhanov categorically denied holding Russian citizenship and said that similar accusations had been made since 2014, mostly on the eve of elections. He emphasized that he had previously undergone SBU background checks and received official certificates confirming he did not hold Russian citizenship. He attributes the current situation to political motives.

The other day, former Odesa Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov said that the shadow Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, which used the President to carry out a raid on Odesa, meets in the apartment on Hrushevskoho Street, which appears in the Mindich tapes.

He stated that the president was used to sign an illegal decree with his own hand, remove the mayor from office, and pave the way for the raider takeover of Odesa.

Earlier, MP Honcharenko released new transcripts of theso-called Mindich tapes, which, in particular, referred to a possible change in leadership in Odesa. The recordings include discussions of scenarios related to the introduction of a military administration in the city. The recordings also discuss the possibility of removing the current mayor , Hennadiy Trukhanov, in the event of a military administration.

Анна Бальчінос