Zelenskyy appoints Russian Senator Derkach’s man as head of Sumy Civil–Military Administration
Zelenskyy appoints Russian Senator Derkach’s man, Oleh Hryhorov, who fled Luhansk on day one of the invasion, abandoning his subordinates and their weapons, as head of the Sumy Regional Civil–Military Administration (CMA). This appointment endangers the security of the Sumy region.
On April 15, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy submitted a nomination to the Cabinet of Ministers to appoint Oleh Hryhorov as head of the Sumy Regional Civil–Military Administration. The Cabinet, led by D. Shmyhal, approved the nomination on the same day.
Back in 2024, former head of the Sumy Regional Council Semen Salatenko wrote that Hryhorov was an agent of the well-known traitor Andrii Derkach, warning that such an appointment would be welcomed in Moscow and raising concerns over Hryhorov being promoted by Zelenskyy’s Office.
Salatenko is a well-known politician in Sumy who rose through the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine — from soldier to lieutenant colonel and battalion commander. He continues to serve on the front lines and has been wounded in combat four times.
Salatenko was an outspoken opponent of Andrii Derkach, the most influential political figure in Sumy, who studied at the FSB Academy in Moscow, served for many years as a member of parliament representing the Sumy region, and held significant influence over Ukrainian authorities under multiple presidents. After the full-scale invasion began, Derkach fled to Russia, where he was rewarded by Putin with the post of Russian senator and now sits in the Russian parliament.
Salatenko noted that Hryhorov was appointed deputy head of the Sumy Regional Police in 2017 thanks to Derkach’s ties to the Petro Poroshenko Bloc, and now, due to the influence of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s administration.
Serhii Lukashov—a former Luhansk police officer who now commands a strike‑drone company in the Armed Forces of Ukraine—wrote that at the outset of the invasion Oleh Hryhorov was serving as chief of the Luhansk Regional Police, but on day one of the war he effectively committed a crime: he abandoned his post without authorization fled, and abandoned the residents of Luhansk, his subordinates, and even their weapons.
According to Censor.NET sources, despite his ties to traitor Derkach and his criminal inaction during the war, Hryhorov was promoted by pro-Russian operatives within Zelenskyy’s inner circle — specifically, Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Oleh Tatarov and his business partner Andrii Portnov, who wield significant influence over Ukraine’s law enforcement and judicial systems.
If Zelenskyy signs the decree appointing Hryhorov, it will be a clear confirmation that he has become a puppet in the hands of Yermak and Tatarov and is completely unaware of who he is appointing and to what positions.
