Zelenskyy terminates Ukrainian citizenship of Trukhanov, Tsariov and Polunin
On 14 October, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree terminating the Ukrainian citizenship of Odesa Mayor Hennadii Trukhanov, former MP and traitor Oleh Tsariov, and ballet dancer Serhii Polunin.
This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to Suspilne.
Decrees revoking the citizenship of these individuals are not published publicly due to the presence of personal data, the President’s Office explained to the media.
It should be noted that Oleh Tsariov served three terms in Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada as a member of the Party of Regions. After the Revolution of Dignity, he sided with pro-Russian forces and has been hiding in Russia since 2014.
In Ukraine, he was convicted in absentia and sentenced to 12 years in prison for separatism and collaboration. In November 2024, Tsariov received another eight-year prison sentence in absentia for financing actions aimed at changing Ukraine’s borders. The court also ordered the confiscation of his property.
Serhii Polunin is a former Ukrainian ballet dancer, born in Kherson. He obtained Serbian citizenship in 2017 and Russian citizenship in 2018. In 2018, he performed in occupied Crimea.
Polunin has openly supported Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, calling him an "angel." After Russia’s full-scale invasion, he endorsed the aggressor’s actions, including the occupation of Kherson.
In December 2024, Polunin announced that he had left Russia, saying he had "fulfilled his mission there."
Earlier, the head of state said that Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) Chief Vasyl Maliuk had reported on countering Russian intelligence networks and collaborators in the frontline, border, and southern regions of Ukraine.
As a reminder, a petition to revoke the Ukrainian citizenship of Hennadii Trukhanov, published on the president’s website on 13 October, has already gained over 28,000 signatures — more than the number required for consideration by the head of state.
Earlier, Trukhanov stated that he would be stripped of his Ukrainian passport.
The mayor of Odesa claims he does not hold and has never held Russian citizenship, allegedly supported by a number of documents.
