---
title: "\"It's a fake\": Hennadiy Trukhanov explains why he was stripped of citizenship and the position of Mayor of Odesa"
description: "Hennadiy Trukhanov called the Russian passport that led to his dismissal as Mayor of Odesa a fake. The former mayor claims that the SBU and courts repeatedly checked his citizenship but found no evidence. Nevertheless, Zelenskyy signed a decree stripping him of citizenship based on a 2025 petition."
date: 2026-06-30T07:04:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/truhanov-responds-to-accusations-of-russian-citizenship
tags: []
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# "It's a fake": Hennadiy Trukhanov explains why he was stripped of citizenship and the position of Mayor of Odesa

![Gennady Trukhanov in a formal suit explains the situation regarding the loss of citizenship and the position of mayor of Odesa](https://xab.info/media/2026/06/30/truhanov-otvetsvet-na-obvineniya-v-rossiyskom-grazhdanstve/truhanov-otvetsvet-na-obvineniya-v-rossiyskom-grazhdanstve-1.webp)

Former Odesa Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov, in an interview with RBC-Ukraine, categorically denied holding Russian citizenship. According to the politician, information about his Russian passport is a fake that periodically surfaces ahead of elections or during political crises.

The situation surrounding the former mayor's citizenship became the basis for large-scale investigations in 2025. On October 13, a petition demanding the revocation of Trukhanov's Ukrainian citizenship was registered on the President of Ukraine's website. The document gathered the required 25,000 votes in less than a day. The next day, Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree terminating Trukhanov's citizenship, citing the possession of a Russian passport. This decision became the basis for his early dismissal from office and the introduction of a military administration in the city.

### History of checks: from 2014 to 2025

Trukhanov claims that the topic of his Russian passport has been haunting him for over a decade. He listed a number of official checks that failed to confirm his claims:

- **2017:** The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) checked the information but found no evidence of Russian citizenship.

- **2018:** The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) initiated an investigation. In court, the prosecutor of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP) read the response from the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, which stated that Trukhanov did not hold Russian citizenship.

- **2022:** Following a petition, President Zelenskyy initiated a comprehensive check. The SBU, National Police, and State Migration Service again found no confirmation.

- **2024:** Ahead of local elections, a copy of an alleged Russian passport appeared in the media. Trukhanov turned to the Russian consulate, where he received an official denial, which was subsequently read in the Verkhovna Rada.

- **2025:** Investigative journalist Khristo Grozev established that the document that became the basis for the President's decree is a forgery.

"I already thought then that it was all over, a full stop was put," the former mayor recalled regarding the events of 2018.

### Political context and consequences

In Trukhanov's opinion, accusations of dual citizenship are used as a political tool. "Why the 25th year? I think when elections loomed and they started talking actively that there will be elections, they did it like this. The elections were somehow postponed, but what was done — it remained," he commented on the situation.

After Zelenskyy signed the decree, the management of the city passed to the military administration. Serhiy Lysak was appointed head of the Odesa City Military Administration, and Ihor Koval, secretary of the Odesa City Council, became the acting city head.

In addition to the citizenship issue, in the autumn of 2025, Trukhanov was notified of suspicion of official negligence. According to the investigation, his actions (or inaction) led to the death of nine people during an abnormal downpour in Odesa on September 30.

Despite official denials and the results of checks, the SBU stated that it had evidence confirming that Trukhanov held a Russian passport. The politician himself assured: "I have never been a citizen of the Russian Federation. And I am sure I never will be".