How Odesa City Council members adapted to the military administration

Despite the establishment of the city military administration in Odesa in October 2025, the Odesa City Council continued to work, adapting its activities to the new conditions of martial law.

Experts of the all-Ukrainian civic campaign "Certification of Local Council Deputies" analyzed how the work of permanent deputy commissions has resumed, how many decisions are made by deputies, and how the mechanism of interaction between the representative body and the military administration has changed.

According to the experts, the Odesa City Council actually retains its institutional subjectivity and continues to carry out its work in an adapted format. This is evidenced by the fact that on October 30, an extraordinary session of the city council was held, where the elected representatives supported seven draft decisions.

Another regular session of the Odesa City Council is scheduled for November 19, where more than 60 draft decisions have already been registered for consideration. Most of them relate to the management of municipal property, the disposal of land plots, and the regulation of land relations, including the transfer of land to individuals and legal entities. Considerable attention is paid to supporting important municipal enterprises, ensuring their operations and the efficient functioning of the city's infrastructure.

The executive committee also operates and the deputy commissions meet. 16 meetings of various commissions took place during the month. The commission on planning, budget and finance was the most intensive, holding four meetings. The Commission on Spatial Development and Land Relations met three times. The commissions on municipal property and economic policy, urban planning and architecture, and housing and communal services held two meetings each. The commissions on transportation, healthcare and education held one meeting each.

City council member Oleh Zvyagin noted that the mechanism of work of the standing committees has changed since the establishment of the city military administration. Previously, they prepared decisions for consideration at sessions, but now they work in an advisory format. Departments still submit their proposals on the budget or facilities, and deputies study them and coordinate them with the deputy heads of the MMA. After that, the commission makes recommendations and submits them to the head of the administration, who makes the final decision. According to the deputy, this approach preserves the role of the deputy corps but integrates its work into the new civil-military vertical of city government.

Кирило Бойко