Mayor of Pivdenoukrainsk accused of physical violence

In Pivdennoukrainsk, Mykolaiv region, Deputy Mayor<b> Maria Drozdova</b> filed a lawsuit against Mayor Valeriy Onufrienko. The reason for the lawsuit was physical violence.

The official announced this on her Facebook page.

According to Drozdova, the incident occurred in March 2022 right at her workplace. The official emphasizes that despite the law enforcement investigation, the trial has been going on for four years. Maria Drozdova said that the long legal battle is a deliberate scheme to avoid responsibility on the part of the mayor:

"The case is constantly being delayed due to challenges, postponements, illnesses or business trips of the participants in the process. All this has become part of a scheme aimed at only one thing - avoiding responsibility. And for more than three years now, he has been succeeding in this," she emphasized.

The situation escalated after Onufrienko's reinstatement. According to Drozdova, the harassment and pressure on her and witnesses intensified, which made her decide to make the case public.

"We are constantly living in tension, and the limit of patience has already been passed. We are just waiting for justice," the deputy mayor added.

The woman urged Valeriy Onufrienko not to ignore the key hearing that will take place today, October 27, in the Arbuzynsky District Court.

It is particularly important that, in addition to considering the case on the merits, the court is to consider the prosecutor's motion to remove Valeriy Onufrienko from the mayor's office for the duration of the trial on October 27.

Earlier, a blogger from Yuzhnoukrainsk, Oleksandr Nagyozha, was sentenced to 8 years for attempting to overthrow the constitutional order and justifying Russian aggression. The appeal was returned and the sentence came into force.

By a verdict of May 2, 2025, he was found guilty under Part 2 of Article 109 (violent overthrow of the constitutional order), Part 2 of Article 436-1 (dissemination of communist symbols) and Part 1 of Article 436-2 (justification of Russian aggression) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and sentenced to 8 years in prison with confiscation of property, except for housing.

Катерина Глушко