Odesa Mayor Dismisses Director of Municipal Security Amid Corruption Probe

Odesa Mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov has signed a decree dismissing Viktor Kuznetsov from the post of Director of the Municipal Security Department.

The relevant order was published on the municipality's website.

It is noted that the dismissal took place by agreement of the parties on the basis of Kuznetsov's own statement. The department's accounting department was instructed to make a full settlement with Kuznetsov in accordance with the current legislation.

Viktor Kuznetsov and his deputy, Yuriy Savchenko, are suspected of abusing procurement for the Defense Forces. According to the prosecutor's office, they purchased tactical clothing and armor plates from the company for the terrorist defense and volunteer units of Odesa at prices that were twice as high as the real ones. As a result, the overpayment amounted to UAH 3.9 million.

In August 2024, Trukhanov temporarily suspended them from their duties.

In July, the Kyiv District Court of Odesa imposed a pre-trial restraint on Kuznetsov, who is suspected of forgery and abuse of power. At that time, the mayor was left with an alternative in the form of bail of 2.3 million hryvnias, reports the Center for Public Investigations, citing the press service of the Odesa Regional Prosecutor's Office.

According to the agency, Viktor Kuznetsov's deputy was also sent to a pre-trial detention center.

Prior to that, law enforcement officers conducted searches in the municipal security department of the Odesa City Council.

On March 5, 2025, the acting director of the Department of Architecture and Urban Planning, Marat Kasimov, was detained in Odesa while receiving a $10,000 bribe.

In February, police detained an official of the Department of Architecture and Urban Planning of one of the city councils in Odesa region. She demanded a kickback from an entrepreneur for issuing permits for retail food sales in the market.

Ірина Глухова