Odesa Mayor Trukhanov says Presidential Office plans to revoke his citizenship

The mayor of Odesa has accused the Presidential Office of intending to deprive him of his citizenship. Photo: Screenshot from the video message

Odesa Mayor Hennadii Trukhanov said that the Presidential Office is preparing an initiative to deprive him of Ukrainian citizenship and called these intentions part of «another provocation».

He said this in a video message.

According to Hennadii Trukhanov, he has never held Russian Federation citizenship, and the relevant checks have been carried out several times. The mayor claims that in 2014 and 2016, the Russian Consulate provided answers that he did not have Russian citizenship, and in 2018, with international legal assistance, NABU received similar information.

«The passports that were published are invalid, they are fake. If someone has them, they should be destroyed. I would not have paid attention to this if I had not learned that tomorrow the presidential commission is planning to consider depriving me of Ukrainian citizenship, allegedly because I have Russian citizenship. This is another provocation,» said Hennadii Trukhanov.

The mayor promised to publish a document allegedly containing a photograph of such a passport. He drew attention to the date of issue — 15 December 2015 — and stressed that he was in Odesa at the time, so he could not physically be at the place where the document was issued. Trukhanov also stated that the biometric passport requires personal presence during the issuance, so «it is another provocation».

Hennadii Trukhanov called on the relevant authorities to check the situation and promised to provide all the necessary evidence. He also appealed to the community not to give in to «imbalance» of society and to maintain unity in the face of an external threat.

«I don't know who needs this, I can only guess. I appeal to all the competent authorities and the President of Ukraine: check these documents, find out who is dividing society and unbalancing the situation during the war. We must remain calm and united to repel the enemy. I hope for a fair and thorough investigation,» said Hennadii Trukhanov.

Earlier, Odesa Mayor Hennadii Trukhanov received an award from the command of the Third Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.