On 7 December, the acting mayor of Chernihiv, Oleksandr Lomako, announced his resignation from the post of secretary of the city council. He announced this on his Telegram channel.
‘To free Chernihiv from hostages, today, on Local Government Day, I am submitting my resignation from the post of City Council Secretary. I am leaving my post with a budget for 2025, heat and light in our homes, existing protection and recovery programmes, stable city reconstruction and record support from the Armed Forces of Ukraine. I will continue to work and fight – against the villains and for a better future for Chernihiv,’ he wrote.
According to Lomak, his decision was dictated by pressure from military administration officials acting on the instructions of the President’s Office. He claims that the city is effectively being held hostage, and that the condition for his release is his personal resignation.
‘I was made to understand that if I stayed, the city would be plunged into chaos. As an example, they showed me what would happen: the failure of the budget for 2025, the paralysis of the largest hospital, non-payment to contractors involved in the restoration of the city, the cessation of meals in kindergartens, the suspension of public transport, and not a single penny for the needs of the Armed Forces,’ Lomako explained.
Lomako took over as mayor in February 2023 after the suspension of Vladyslav Atroshenko by court order, which Atroshenko called politically motivated. Less than a week after that, a city military administration headed by Dmytro Bryzhynskyi was established in Chernihiv. The relationship between Lomak and the military administration was marked by constant conflicts.
It was during Lomak’s tenure that the city council held its first online session. It was also on his initiative that Vladyslav Atroshenko was awarded the title of ‘Honorary Citizen of Chernihiv’.
Political analyst Andriy Podverbniy notes that Lomak managed to ensure the stable operation of the city council and municipal enterprises even in the face of conflict with the military administration. However, according to the expert, the constant disagreements between local authorities and military leaders have become the main challenge for Lomak in his post.
Lomak’s resignation raises new questions about the future of city government in Chernihiv and the influence of military administrations on local authorities.