March 11, 2026, 5:24 p.m.
(Deputies of the Podil district council. PHOTO: Oksana Pidnebesna/Facebook)
Deputies of the Podil district administration unanimously expressed no confidence in the head of the district administration , Mykhailo Lazarenko, during a secret ballot. His dismissal was the subject of a criminal investigation due to a forged statement.
This was reported by journalist Oksana Pidnebesna.
At the session of the Podil District Military Administration of Odesa Oblast, 33 deputies gathered and unanimously voted to pass a motion of no confidence in the head of the district military administration, Lazarenko. The vote was held in secret under the control of the heads of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, Oleh Kiper and Hryhoriy Didenko.
The scandal erupted because of Lazarenko 's forged resignation letter.
Recently, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved the dismissal of Lazarenko , the head of the Podil District Military Administration in Odesa Oblast, based on his resignation letter, which turned out to be a forgery. A criminal proceeding has now been registered in the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations under Part 3 of Article 358 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - forgery of documents. The reason for this was an alleged statement by Mykhailo Lazarenko, in which the handwritten text and signature were found to be forged.
Journalist Oksana Pidnesna suggested that the head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, Oleh Kiper, may be involved in the situation. Kiper 's spokeswoman, Nadiya Maksymets, clarified that appointments and dismissals are approved by the Cabinet of Ministers, not the head of the regional administration.
The Podil District Military Administration told Intent that the Cabinet of Ministers approved the dismissal based on a submission from the head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, and that the police should establish who forged the application. The Cabinet of Ministers also received a copy of the application from the DIA.
On March 10, members of the Podil District Council were called to an extraordinary session due to the scandal over the dismissal of the official. The meeting was to consider a motion of no confidence in him. Lazarenko himself said that if such a decision was made, he would appeal it in court.
Анна Бальчінос