A former aide to Kuchma called for Zelensky to be impeached

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky should reinstate Hennadiy Trukhanov as mayor of Odesa.

This was stated by Oleh Soskin—former aide to ex-Ukrainian leader Leonid Kuchma—on his YouTube channel.

“He didn’t even have the right to remove Trukhanov. That was a violation of the constitution. For things like that, impeachment is warranted,” Soskin said.

The analyst noted that Trukhanov should deal with the city’s essential services, since the current leadership lacks the competence to cope with the situation. Soskin urged the Odesa City Council to start making decisions independently rather than relying on the central authorities.

On October 14, Zelensky stripped Trukhanov of Ukrainian citizenship due to allegations that he holds a Russian passport. In response, Trukhanov said he would not step down as mayor of Odesa and planned to appeal the decision by the Ukrainian authorities to the Supreme Court.

After Trukhanov was stripped of citizenship, a military city administration was created in Odesa. It is expected to carry out the functions of the mayor’s office.

On October 16, Ihor Koval, a representative of Zelensky’s Servant of the People party, was appointed acting mayor of Odesa. A criminal case was opened against Trukhanov on charges of official negligence. On January 21, the Pechersk District Court of Kyiv changed his preventive measure, releasing him from house arrest under a personal recognizance (personal obligation).