Nigeria TV Info — Zelenskiy Appoints New Odesa Administrator After Mayor’s Dismissal Over Russian Passport Allegation

Kyiv, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has appointed Serhiy Lysak, the former governor of Dnipropetrovsk region, as the new head of Odesa’s city administration following the dismissal of Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov.

The move follows Zelenskiy’s decision to revoke Trukhanov’s Ukrainian citizenship amid allegations that he possessed a Russian passport — a violation that automatically disqualifies him from holding public office under Ukrainian law.

Lysak will oversee a newly established city military administration, a wartime structure granting direct presidential control over key urban centers. These military-led administrations have become common since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, though critics say they weaken local democracy and concentrate excessive power in Kyiv.

Trukhanov, who had led Odesa since 2014, denies the accusations and has vowed to challenge the decision in court. He has also been an outspoken critic of Ukraine’s ongoing “de-Russification” campaign — an effort aimed at removing Russian influence from public life following Moscow’s annexation of Crimea.

With elections suspended under martial law, Lysak’s appointment effectively places Odesa, a strategic Black Sea port city, under direct presidential oversight — a move viewed as both a security necessity and a test of Ukraine’s democratic resilience during wartime.