Odesa dismisses 22 advisers to former mayor Trukhanov

Advisors to former mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov have been fired in Odesa. Their resignation took place after the official was deprived of Ukrainian citizenship.

The order to terminate their activities was signed by the acting mayor and secretary of the city council, Igor Koval.

In Odesa, 22 advisors to former mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov were dismissed. The documents were published on the city council's website on October 22.

These are advisors who worked on a pro bono basis:

• Lilia Leonidova - on ensuring equal rights and opportunities for women and men, preventing and combating gender-based violence;
• Tetiana Markova - on culture, cultural diplomacy and tourism;
• Veronika Etnarovych, Humanitarian Advisor;
• Olena Zakharchenko-Netuzhylova - advisor on international and inter-municipal partnerships.

Advisors Mykola Viknianskyi, Yuriy Verba, Yuriy Kachanovskyi, Yevhen Drozd, Tamara Astakhova, Oleksandr Kinda, Mykola Markin, Maryna Bahriy-Shakhmatova, Volodymyr Markevych, Denys Petyk, Vitaliy Kozlyakov, Mykola Pavlyshen, Olena Onishchenko, Olena Pavlova, Oleksiy Morozov, Andriy Chornyi, Mykola Skyba and Oleksandr Tomkeiev were also dismissed.

Only Olena Zakharchenko-Netuzhylova was dismissed at her own request on October 14, and the rest of the advisers were dismissed on October 17. Their job was to provide advisory support to the city council and provide expert advice.

At the same time, the former mayor of Odesa will remain the informal leader of the "Trust the Deeds" party. The party under his control will retain its influence on local politics. This opinion was expressed by MPs Mykhailo Shmushkovych and Oleh Etnarovych on the Intent.Insight program, who discussed the reasons for the changes in Odesa and the political motives of the central government.

On October 14, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy revoked the citizenship of Odesa Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov, and on October 20, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau served notice of suspicion to Hryhoriy Didenko, the head of the Odesa Regional Council, and his wife, an MP.

Анна Бальчінос