Head of Kilia District Court dies

The chairman of the Kilia District Court in Odesa Oblast died suddenly on January 24, around 5 a.m., in the Kilia Multidisciplinary Hospital.

This was reported by Vyacheslav Chernyavsky, head of the Kiliya community.

"I express my sincere condolences on the untimely death of Mykola Balan, a judge of the Kiliya District Court of Odesa Oblast. This loss is irreparable for the family, colleagues and the entire legal community," the mayor wrote.

Mykola Balan had been working in the Kilia court since 2008. In 2015, he became the head of the institution, which he managed for five years. After that, Oleksandr Maslenikov was elected as the head of the court, but in 2023 Mykola Balan was re-elected again.

According to Bessarabia INFORM, the 45-year-old judge sought help at a medical facility with complaints of feeling unwell and then fainted. Despite the help provided, doctors were unable to save his life.

In January, Bohdan Chufus, an actor, singer, member of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine, announcer of Odesa TV, and People's Artist of Ukraine, also died .

And in 2025, Valerii Syrov, a member of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine and an honorary citizen of Bilyayivka, Odesa Oblast, died on December 20 at the age of 76. The artist died on the eve of his birthday - he was supposed to turn 77 on December 22.

Also on December 4, Ivan Makedonsky, a longtime leader and statesman of Bolhrad district and Odesa region, died at the age of 84. He was an advisor to the head of the Odesa Regional State Administration, and since 2003 he headed the Odesa Regional Organization of the Trade Union of Agricultural Workers of Ukraine.

Кирило Бойко