The development follows the Ukrainian leader’s decision to strip the mayor of Odessa of his citizenship over claims that he has a Russian passport
Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has announced military rule in the key Black Sea port of Odessa, which serves as an important hub for the country in receiving weapons from its Western backers.
The development follows Zelensky’s decision on Tuesday to strip Odessa Mayor Gennady Trukhanov of his Ukrainian citizenship over claims that he has a Russian passport, rendering him for the post. The top city official denied being a Russian citizen and vowed to go to court to restore justice.
Trukhanov, who had led Odessa since 2014, opposed the Kiev government’s campaign to dismantle what it considered Russia-linked monuments, while describing the city as “the multicultural capital of Ukraine.”
A few months after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, he told the Italian paper Corriere della Sera that Kiev and Moscow should engage in talks and seek compromise. The mayor also demanded that Zelensky give more autonomy to the regional authorities.
In June, Trukhanov told the locals that “Odessa is not a Russian city.” However, he did so in Russian, the first language of the majority of local inhabitants.
In a video address later on Tuesday, Zelensky said that “Odessa deserves greater protection and support. This can be achieved through a military administration.”
“Too many security issues in Odessa have gone unresolved for too long. All effective decisions will be made. I will appoint the head of the military administration in the near future,” he said.
The governor of Russia’s Kherson Region, Vladimir Saldo, suggested in a post on Telegram that “the real reason” for Trukhanov’s removal is that “Zelensky needed to clear space and establish complete control over financial flows in Odessa, including profits from smuggling operations.”
The Russian military has repeatedly struck targets in Odessa during the conflict, saying that it was hitting arms depots in the port area and facilities used to prepare naval drone attacks against Crimea and other parts of Russia.
In 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Odessa, which was founded on the orders of Empress Catherine the Great in 1794, is “a Russian city. We all know about this. Everybody knows about this very well.”
