Former Odesa Mayor Hennadii Truhanov, during the hearing of his case at the Supreme Court of Ukraine, stated that there were significant procedural violations made while preparing materials for the meeting of the Presidential Commission on Citizenship. According to him, the commission meeting could not have had legitimate documents, as transporting them from Odesa to Kyiv within a single day was physically impossible. The ex-mayor announced this in his Telegram channel, which was noted by the RBC-Ukraine publication.
Chronology of Document Movement: From the SBU to the Commission
As Truhanov recounted, the parties' speeches concluded in the Supreme Court, and the court proceeded to a direct examination of the case materials. At this stage, he claims, new circumstances regarding the passage of documents from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) came to light. According to the defense's data, materials from the SBU arrived at the Migration Service (SMS) in Odesa Oblast on Friday, October 10, at 5:47 PM—meaning already during non-working hours. In fact, agency employees saw the documents in electronic form for the first time only on Monday, October 13. By law, the regional branch was obliged to study the materials, conduct an inspection, prepare a submission, and transfer it to the central apparatus of the SMS, and from there to the Presidential Commission of Ukraine.
Defense Position: Impossibility of Delivering Originals
Truhanov emphasized that the transfer of documents should have been carried out exclusively via special communications—in originals, with signatures and "wet" seals. His defense insists that conducting a proper inspection and delivering the originals via special communications to the capital in one day is physically and legally impossible. Given this, the former mayor asserts that not only the evidence itself, but the entire procedure of its execution, was falsified. Earlier, he also stated that representatives of state bodies provided the Supreme Court with uncertified copies of documents, which, according to him, cannot be considered proper evidence.
Composition of the Commission and Figures in Criminal Proceedings
Separately, Truhanov drew attention to the fact that the relevant Presidential Commission was headed by Iryna Mudra—the former deputy head of the Presidential Office, whom he described as a figure in criminal proceedings who recently left a pretrial detention center. This statement by the ex-mayor became part of his general argument that the procedure for making the decision to terminate citizenship was carried out in violation of established norms.
Context: How the Decision to Terminate Citizenship Was Made
In October 2025, the President of Ukraine by decree terminated the citizenship of Hennadii Truhanov, who at that time held the post of Mayor of Odesa. The decision was made by the Presidential Commission on Citizenship based on materials submitted by the SBU. According to the intelligence agency's version, Truhanov holds Russian citizenship and a valid Russian foreign passport issued on December 15, 2015. The SBU also stated that he possesses a Russian tax number. Truhanov himself consistently denies these claims: he emphasizes that he never had Russian citizenship, calls the published documents forged, and is appealing the decision to terminate his Ukrainian citizenship in the Supreme Court.
Prospects: Next Hearing on November 17
The next hearing of the Supreme Court in Truhanov's citizenship case is scheduled for November 17. According to the ex-mayor, his side will continue to prove its position "in the language of facts and evidence." The outcomes of the case review could become a precedent-setting example of how a court assesses the admissibility of evidence obtained within the procedure of citizenship termination and the degree of procedural correctness of state bodies' actions at every stage.
