Odesa mayor intends to seek help from the US and EU

The mayor of Odesa has denied having Russian citizenship and calls the decision to deprive him of his Ukrainian passport politically motivated. He emphasized that he continues to fulfill his duties and plans to apply to international bodies for official confirmation of his status.

This was announced by Mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov at a briefing.

According to the mayor, an inspection had already been conducted earlier, which did not reveal any evidence of Russian documents.

"If nothing was found then, and today they suddenly "found" something, society understands why this is happening. I think it's a fake. They could have come up with something smarter," Trukhanov said.

He said that he had sent official requests to confirm the information and intends to appeal to the governments of European countries and the United States to get an official response from the Russian side.

I am sure that Russia will not confirm that I am its citizen," the mayor emphasized.

Trukhanov emphasized that as an official, he has access to classified information, and if Ukrainian law enforcement officers had had information about his dual citizenship back in 2020, he would not have been retained in office. He added that if he were guilty, he would have kept quiet. But he is not guilty, so he speaks openly.

Commenting on the situation with the city administration, the mayor said that he had no communication with Kyiv, but he continues to perform his duties until the Odesa City Council officially receives a notification of changes. He also reminded that the transfer of power from the city council to the military administration is possible only by the decision of the Verkhovna Rada.

Separately, Trukhanov drew attention to rumors about the wife of the head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, Oleh Kiper, who was reported in the media to have allegedly renewed her Russian passport and has accounts abroad. According to him, if this is not true, let him come out and refute it.

I can't answer now what country we will live in. But I really want Ukraine to remain a European state with democratic values," he said.

Trukhanov also responded emotionally to a question about his family, noting that his daughters are very worried about the events of the past few days.

The head of the Odesa regional organization of the Committee of Voters of Ukraine, Anatoliy Boyko, noted that in many cities close to the front line, similar changes have already taken place and suggested that the decision to introduce a military administration in Odesa was made in advance, and now there is only a formal reason. At the same time, Boyko emphasized that there are currently no prerequisites for the introduction of a military administration, as after Hennadiy Trukhanov 's citizenship was revoked, his duties were transferred to the secretary of the city council.

Анна Бальчінос