Municipal Guard liquidated in Odesa: reasons for the decision

The city of Odesa has decided to liquidate the municipal institution Municipal Guard. The authorities explained this by the desire to reduce budget expenditures and increase the efficiency of managing city resources.

This was reported by the Center for Public Investigations.

According to the document, the Municipal Guard is to be terminated by liquidation. For this purpose, a commission was created, headed by the director of the institution, Yevhen Miroshnychenko. The commission also includes his deputy , Oleksandr Deyneko, and the head of the HR and Legal Department, Ihor Prylypko.

In June 2024, the Center for Public Investigations conducted an analysis of several civil society organizations that cooperate with the Odesa police. The study showed that the initiative to patrol the city during the war by volunteers together with law enforcement officers, aimed at preventing crime, could create risks of abuse. Most of these groups turned out to be mostly "paper" groups, but after official registration, their members received certain privileges and an unspecified list of responsibilities.

With the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the number of employees of the municipal institution doubled to 600 people. In 2023, it was decided to reduce the staff to 450 people, and as of 2024, the Municipal Guard had just that many employees.

The investigators suggested that some members of the public groups continued to act as "volunteers" at the expense of Odesa taxpayers.

MP Petro Obukhov asked whether the authorities planned to provide security on the Health Highway, Deribasovskaya Street and in the ASCs, where the employees of the institution were previously on duty.

The head of the city military administration, Serhiy Lysak, asked what benefits the institution had brought during its existence and what economic impact its activities had.

Creditors of the municipal institution "Municipal Guard" can submit their claims in writing within two months from the date of publication of the decision. The Commission must carry out all necessary liquidation procedures in accordance with applicable law. Control over the implementation of the decision is entrusted to the acting mayor, secretary of the city council, Ihor Koval, who submitted the draft decision.

According to the city council, the liquidation ofMunicipal Guard is aimed at rationalizing the use of budget funds and improving the efficiency of community resource management. The decision to liquidate the institution was made unanimously.

At the same time, the head of the Odesa City Military Administration, Serhiy Lysak, ordered to work out the option of employing the employees of the institution among veterans who participated in hostilities.

Анна Бальчінос