Editor’s note: the story is being updated.

Ihor Koval, the secretary of the Odesa city council, appointed himself as the city’s acting mayor on Oct. 16.

The move follows President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Oct. 14 decree to strip Odesa Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov of his Ukrainian citizenship. The decision was based on evidence that Trukhanov is a Russian citizen, although he denies this.

In an effort to replace Trukhanov, Zelensky appointed Serhii Lysak as head of the the newly formed Odesa Military Administration on Oct. 15.

Koval published a decree saying that he would be acting mayor under Ukraine’s law on local government.

Under the law, the city council’s secretary becomes acting mayor in the event of the mayor’s dismissal or death or if he is unable to exercise his powers.

Koval was elected as a member of the city council in 2020. He represented Zelensky’s Servant of the People party in the election, although he is not formally a member of the party’s faction in the council.

Read also: Odesa mayor is a Russian citizen but passport published by Ukrainian intelligence is fake, journalists claim

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