Kim asked Zelenskyy to impose military administration in Pivdennoukrainsk

The head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration has asked President Zelenskyy to establish a military administration in Pivdennoukrainsk. Photo: NikVesti

The head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration, Vitalii Kim, has submitted documents to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy requesting the establishment of a municipal military administration in Pivdennoukrainsk. The decision is to be finally approved by the president.

Vitalii Kim spoke about this in a comment to NikVesti.

The head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration commented that Pivdennoukrainsk has been neglected due to disagreements between the mayor and councillors.

«My view is that a city with a budget of billions is neglected. And because of internal squabbles and misunderstandings, this strategic city, which oversees a nuclear power station, cannot function properly,» said Vitalii Kim.

He also confirmed that he had submitted documents to the president to establish a military administration.

«I had a meeting with the mayor and councillors around the same table. There is a complete disconnect between them. Both sides are ready for this to happen (the establishment of a military administration — note). I have submitted documents to the President regarding the establishment of a military administration. It is currently at the approval stage,» added the head of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration.

There is currently no timeline for when a military administration might be established in Pivdennoukrainsk.

«It will happen once the president signs it. It is his decision,» said Vitalii Kim.

As a reminder, the mayor of Pivdennoukrainsk, Valerii Onufriienko, told NikVesti that there is currently a need to introduce a military administration in the city.

The 69th session of the Pivdennoukrainsk City Council was due to take place on 21 May, then it was postponed to 28 May, and is now scheduled for 4 June.

The session in Pivdennoukrainsk has been postponed again. Screenshot of the city council secretary’s order

History of session postponements

As a reminder, in 2025, city councillors in Pivdennoukrainsk were unable to convene for several sessions in a row, meaning the city still did not have an approved budget for 2026. As a result, Mayor Valerii Onufriienko appealed to the head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration, Vitalii Kim, requesting the establishment of a military administration in the Pivdennoukrainsk City Territorial Community.

In 2026, the Pivdennoukrainsk City Council has been postponing its meetings since winter because it cannot achieve a quorum. The last time councillors met was on 22 January. The city council’s website reported that the 68th session had been scheduled for October 2025 and had been postponed several times due to a lack of quorum.

On 9 April, the Pivdennoukrainsk City Council failed to convene for the fourth time: only 11 councillors attended the 69th session.

In addition, the councillor stated that there are plans to establish a military administration in Pivdennoukrainsk. According to the councillor, «Energoatom», the Office of the President and the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration are intervening in this process to control the budget.

Earlier, the head of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration, Vitalii Kim, said that he saw no legal grounds for introducing a military administration in Pivdennoukrainsk at the request of the mayor, Valeriy Onufriienko, but that the matter would still be investigated.

Heorhii Reshetilov, deputy head of the Regional State Administration, also explained that the decision to establish a military administration is taken by the president, and for this there must be grounds clearly defined by law. This must either be linked to military consequences or the suspension of local self-government bodies.

On 23 April, the councillors of the South Ukrainian City Council once again failed to convene for a session.