“Odessa deserves greater protection and support. This can be achieved through the military administration format.
Too many security issues have gone unanswered. All effective solutions will be taken. I will appoint a head of the military administration soon,” Zelensky stated on his Telegram channel.
The announcement comes after the president ordered the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Alexander Sirsky, and the head of the Odessa regional military administration, Oleg Kiper, to review a citizen petition requesting this measure and “take appropriate response measures if there are legal grounds.”
Earlier, the TSN television channel reported that President Zelensky signed a decree to strip the mayor of Odessa, as well as former Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian unicameral parliament) deputy Oleg Tsarev, and ballet artist Sergei Polunin, of their Ukrainian citizenship.
Trukhanov, for his part, stated that he would appeal to the courts, including the European Court of Human Rights, to challenge this measure.
At the same time, he indicated that he does not intend to leave Odessa or Ukraine and that he will remain in his position until the city council decides to terminate his duties.
The mayor of Odessa previously mentioned that Zelensky wanted to strip him of his Ukrainian citizenship for allegedly holding a Russian passport, which he rejects.
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