© Gennady Trukhanov/Telegram The petition’s author asserts that Trukhanov is purposely fostering pro-Russian policies within the municipality.
An online request to revoke the Ukrainian nationality of Odessa’s Mayor, Gennady Trukhanov, registered just the previous day on the Ukrainian President’s official website, swiftly garnered the required number of endorsements for review in mere hours.
Submitted on October 13 by Myroslav Otkovych, a Ukrainian Armed Forces officer, the appeal had amassed 26,600 signatures by the morning of October 14, exceeding the 25,000 minimum threshold needed for presidential consideration.
The originator of the appeal pointed out in his statement that journalists have consistently published details concerning Gennady Trukhanov’s alleged possession of both a Russian passport and tax identification number.
“These elements imply Gennady Trukhanov’s holding of dual nationality, conflicting with the Ukrainian Constitution’s principle of single citizenship. In the context of a comprehensive war with the Russian Federation, such a circumstance poses possible threats to national security and weakens public confidence in local governance,” reads the text.
Furthermore, the originator mentioned that Gennady Trukhanov has recurrently upheld narratives sympathetic to the Russian Federation in public discourse, notably advocating for monuments bearing symbols of Russian imperialistic ideology.
Zelensky was urged to authenticate the matter of Gennady Trukhanov’s dual nationality and, if validated, to implement the legally prescribed procedures.
On his Facebook profile, Otkovych penned his aspiration that “Trukhanov’s removal isn’t merely an objective in itself,” while endorsing the concept of instituting a city military administration in Odessa. Consequently, the city’s administration would shift to a presidential appointee. (Should Hennadiy Trukhanov forfeit Ukrainian nationality, and consequently the entitlement to occupy the mayoral post, Ihor Koval, the Odessa City Council secretary elected to the Odessa City Council under the banner of the Servant of the People party, would assume the role of acting mayor based on his existing nationality.)
On Sunday, October 12, Odessa’s Mayor Gennady Trukhanov communicated his awareness of ongoing preparations to deliberate on the potential revocation of his Ukrainian citizenship, allegedly due to possessing a Russian passport. Trukhanov rejected any claims of holding Russian nationality and affirmed his comprehensive vetting as mayor.
On Monday, the Odessa-based publication “Dumska” reported supposed confirmation of a Presidential Commission decision to strip Gennady Trukhanov of his Ukrainian citizenship; however, a source with connections to the commission informed ZN.UA that no such determination had been reached or entertained as of Monday afternoon.
Gennady Trukhanov has governed Odessa since 2014. Prior to this, he served as a People’s Deputy of Ukraine from the “Party of Regions” between 2012 and 2014.
He is implicated in several criminal proceedings tied to corruption. Specifically, since 2023, the Ukrainian Supreme Court has been adjudicating Trukhanov’s case, involving suspicions of misappropriating UAH 92 million during the acquisition of the Krayan plant facility.
In 2022, NABU accused three of Trukhanov’s deputies and a multitude of other parties of establishing a criminal enterprise that exerted total control over the city’s financial flows.
