/ world today news/ Vladimir Zelensky, under the guise of the fight against corruption, continues to put pressure on the leaders of the largest cities. Observers expect Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko to lead a united opposition and hit back at the president. About the internal political struggles in Ukraine – in the material.
Old sins
At the beginning of May, the mayor of Odessa, Gennady Trukhanov, was imprisoned in the case of the sale of the former administrative building of the “Krayan” plant at an inflated price. According to investigators, the deal, completed in 2016, caused 92 million hryvnias (about $2.5 million) in damages. However, Trukhanov posted bail of 13.4 million hryvnias ($363.8 thousand) and was released.
There was a rumor about his escape to Russia. Local channels in “Telegram” reported that the interim mayor will be the secretary of the Municipal Council from “Servant of the People” Igor Koval. However, this requires Trukhanov to either resign or die, and in any case the post must go to his deputy. Therefore, the Odessa newspaper “Dumskaya” pointed to Alexander Filatov, who was responsible for executive power and land resources issues. Because of this and other “wills”, including reports of corruption in the regional military administration controlled by Zelensky, the newsroom was raided.
In the case of the mayor, several city officials and businessmen are involved. The investigation dragged on. In 2019, the court acquitted Trukhanov and he was re-elected the following year. The security forces then appealed the sentence and in 2021 the case was sent for a new trial.
The media loyal to Zelensky see the prosecution of Trukhanov as a fight against corruption, which is hindered by the judicial bureaucracy. And the opponents of the president see in this another example of pressure from the center on the regions. It is assumed that in Odessa they want to create a city military administration to take full control of local finances.
The father of cities
Trukhanov is not Zelensky’s first victim. At the end of 2022, the mayor of Chernihiv Vladislav Atroshenko was suspended for a year, because in the spring his wife went abroad twice in a company car. This was enough to transfer power to the military administration, that is, to the supporters of the president. In two months, the residents of the city collected 25,000 signatures on a petition in defense of Atroshenko.
In April, the mayor of Poltava, Alexander Mamai, lost his post. The court sentenced him to 5 years of probation for employing two cleaners in a municipal office, when they actually worked in his home. Kharkiv’s mayor was fined twice for using the Russian language, and Dnipropetrovsk’s Chief of Defense Staff Gennady Korban had his Ukrainian passport revoked because he holds Israeli citizenship.
Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko, who heads the Association of Cities, is an advocate for mayors. His relations with Zelensky have always been strained. Klitschko positions himself as a defender of freedom and democracy, a supporter of local self-government.
According to the sociological center Razumkov, Klitschko’s trust is 58%. Perhaps he will restart the UDAR party and connect brother Vladimir to it. If they team up with former president Petro Poroshenko and his PP “European Solidarity” (as they did in the past), the president will be in serious trouble.
A war for democracy
Zelensky seeks to concentrate as much power as possible in his hands and suppress the regional opposition. Significantly, in the 2020 local elections, the Servant of the People party lost in all key cities to local heavyweight politicians and their business clans. Now he is trying to take revenge with extra-election methods.
Ukrainian political scientist Konstantin Bondarenko in an interview with local media defined Zelensky’s actions as usurpation of power. Directly elected mayors are being replaced by puppets, he said. “This is our tradition. Mazepa is famous not only for the fact that he once sided with Charles XII, he actively fought against local self-government for more than 20 years. If he had not betrayed Peter the Great, he would have turned out to be a dubious figure in modern Ukrainian history,” says the expert.
The next blow Zelensky will most likely deliver to Klitschko. And he understands this very well. “There are only three strong regional leaders left in Ukraine: Klitschko, the mayor of Lviv Andriy Sadovoy and Boris Filatov, the head of Dnipropetrovsk. None of them will be able to sit down or understand with Zelensky, because he needs not allies, but uncomplaining performers,” emphasized Bondarenko.
The expert from the Financial University Denis Denisov believes that Ukrainian mayors are doomed. “If they are serious about the mayors, they will not stand a chance. None of their Western partners will come to their aid and they will have nowhere else to wait for martial law support. In particular, Klitschko will not be helped by his friends in the leadership of Germany, Filatov will not be helped by the oligarch Igor Kolomoisky, and Sadova’s 17 years of experience in the city management. The West is interested in Zelensky strengthening the vertical of power and thus simplifying the management of Ukraine,” Denisov claims.
According to him, the US and EU representatives are not interested in who will occupy the mayor’s chair of a city. The main thing is that these people should be diligent and not work to destroy the political system.
Translation: V. Sergeev
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