Zelensky strips Odesa mayor of Ukrainian citizenship for holding Russian passport

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree on Tuesday stripping three prominent politicians and public figures of their citizenship, the country’s public broadcaster Suspilne has reported.

According to Suspilne’s sources in the presidential administration, the decree targets the mayor of the southern city of Odesa, Hennadiy Trukhanov, a former separatist lawmaker in eastern Ukraine, Oleh Tsaryov, and prominent ballet dancer Sergey Polunin.

All three appear to hold dual Russian-Ukrainian citizenship. In a post on X, Zelensky confirmed that “relevant decisions” had been made regarding “certain individuals” found to hold Russian citizenship after a meeting with Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Malyuk, but did not name the individuals in question.

Until a new law was passed in June, Ukraine did not recognise dual citizenship, meaning that any ethnic Ukrainians who obtained foreign citizenship before that time had to renounce their other citizenship if they wanted to remain Ukrainian. 

Trukhanov, who has been the mayor of Odesa, a major port city in southern Ukraine, since 2014, denied holding a Russian passport in a comment to Suspilne and said he would appeal Zelensky’s decision to strip him of his citizenship in Ukrainian courts and the European Court of Human Rights. It has not been made clear who will succeed him as mayor.

Prominent Ukrainian ballet dancer Sergey Polunin, known for having three eccentric tattoos bearing Vladimir Putin’s likeness and for his vocal support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine, has not commented on Zelensky’s decision. Polunin is known to hold both Russian and Ukrainian passports, having obtained Russian citizenship in 2018.

Tsaryov, a former Ukrainian lawmaker sentenced in absentia to 12 years in a Ukrainian prison in March 2023 for collaborating with the Kremlin, now runs a chain of hotels in occupied Crimea.