{"id":1307039,"date":"2025-10-16T11:12:44","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T08:12:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/about-trukhanov-and-the-future-level-of-separatism-in-odessa\/"},"modified":"2025-10-17T09:12:22","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T06:12:22","slug":"about-trukhanov-and-the-future-level-of-separatism-in-odessa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/about-trukhanov-and-the-future-level-of-separatism-in-odessa\/","title":{"rendered":"Trukhanov\u2019s Shadow: Is Separatism Brewing Again in Odesa?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Source: Author’s Facebook<\/a> page<\/em><\/p>\n

Whether Hennadiy Trukhanov is still the mayor of Odesa or not no longer matters. From the standpoint of official Kyiv, his term is effectively over \u2014 and his attempts to remain \u201cin business\u201d now depend entirely on how much room Kyiv is willing to give him.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Of course, there will be no elections \u2014 yet the revocation of Trukhanov\u2019s citizenship inevitably sparks talk of elections. And the Russian passport he reportedly showed to the SBU raises questions about separatism.<\/p>\n

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    From the standpoint of popular legitimacy, Trukhanov has no real competitors.<\/strong> He remains politician number one, two, three \u2014 perhaps even five \u2014 in Odesa. The gap between him and any potential rival (who, de facto, does not yet exist) is enormous. Trukhanov has a loyal, adventurous electorate that largely votes for whoever he points to.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

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    For at least the past year, Bankova has been trying to cultivate a rival to Trukhanov<\/strong> in the person of regional governor Kiper. The attempt has not been very successful, particularly from an electoral standpoint. Trukhanov himself has also tried to promote a \u201cdouble\u201d \u2014 a stand-in figure \u2014 but with little success. After all, a double is meant to appear only when the main actor cannot take the stage. Still, this is a development worth watching closely.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  3. Can the new head of the VCA change the electoral landscape?<\/strong> Highly doubtful. Political \u201cparachutists\u201d rarely take root in Ukrainian cities \u2014 they succeed only during moments of intense political turbulence. Even Mikheil Saakashvili, despite his charisma and experience, couldn\u2019t win Odesa\u2019s lasting affection, though he did manage to build his own faction.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\t\t