A new media figure has emerged in Odesa City Hall. A certain Andriy Kotlyar, who had distinguished himself both in the confrontation with Saakashvili and in the Palytsia administration, has emerged out of nowhere to replace the usual vice-mayors. City Hall staff insist that this is the person who will replace the current mayor. Trukhanov.
A strange character
A scandal brought fame to this man out of nowhere. Governor Saakashvili disgraced the quiet Regional State Administration Department for Interaction with Law Enforcement Agencies, Defense Work, and the Prevention and Detection of Corruption back in July 2015. However, its head, Andriy Kotlyar, wasn't left without a job—he was immediately "coddled" by Mayor Trukhanov. And not just anywhere, but as Deputy Mayor. Why a complete stranger ended up in a leadership position at City Hall is a mystery only to the layman. After all, Kotlyar was well known both in City Hall and in the former regional government structures. He oversaw the creation of so-called "private armies"—paramilitary structures performing unclear functions such as security and forceful confrontation for specific interests.
Moreover, the Odesa "Maidan Self-Defense" makes no secret of its patronage of Kotlyar. Activists also claim that Kotlyar oversees part of the "Public Security Council" (PSC) and the Automaidan. As a reminder, Automaidan activists were among those detained during the attempted violent dispersal of the Anti-Trukhanov Maidan. Kotlyar also exerts influence over the Right Sector, which, while maintaining autonomous governance, also operates within the same framework.
The principled stance of these organizations against supporting the protest against Mayor Trukhanov, accused of separatism, explains a great deal. It also explains the incredible number of "titushki" (illegal armed groups) who, with unclear powers, regularly operate inside and outside City Hall and engage in violent confrontations with public activists.
As for Kotlyar's irreplaceability and any of his personal qualities, it's difficult to judge. His official biography on the mayor's office website contains more questions than answers, and the unfilled gaps in his tenure reach as long as six years:
Kotlyar was born on February 23, 1970 in the city of Genichesk, Kherson region.
Since 1971 he has lived in Odessa (where his father served in the military).
In 1987 he graduated from Odessa Secondary School No. 67.
From 1987 to 1994 – military service, training at a military school (Leningrad)
From 1995 to 2008 he was engaged in entrepreneurial activity.
In 2003, he graduated from the Faculty of Economics and Law of the I.I. Mechnikov Odessa National University.
From 2009 to 2014 he was involved in public activities (working with veterans).
From June 2014 to June 2015 - Head of the Department for Interaction with Law Enforcement Agencies, Defense Work and Anti-Corruption of the Odessa Regional State Administration.
From June 2015 to February 2016 - Acting Deputy Mayor of Odessa.
From February 2016 to the present – Deputy Mayor of Odessa.
Member of the Union of Veterans of the Airborne Forces of Odessa.
An amazing biography, in a word.
Successor
As his biographical information shows, Andriy Kotlyar entered government service in June 2014 through a veterans' organization. Kotlyar himself claims to have been on the Maidan with Self-Defense, although activists have no recollection of him. So, more questions. And how did someone who celebrated Ukraine's independence at a military academy in Leningrad end up working for veterans' organizations on the Maidan?
And that wouldn't be all, if not for the openly circulated information that Kotlyar, a Maidan insider, wasn't being groomed as a backup in the mayor's office, in case Trukhanov is forced to step aside under the weight of scandals. Yes, Kotlyar is being groomed as the successor. According to insiders from the building on Dumskaya Square, the conspirators' current goal is to pull off a ploy to call snap elections, otherwise, Oleksiy Potapsky, the city council secretary, will assume the mayor's duties. Potapsky has no known allegiance to Trukhanov and may well be unwilling to work under the current arrangements.
Recent events also don't inspire confidence in Trukhanov's team. During Prime Minister Groysman's visit to the region, the mayor of Odesa was criticized. Everyone remembers well how similar criticism from Prime Minister Azarov ended for Trukhanov's "predecessor," Kostusev. And the appointment of Lutsenko as Prosecutor General in the midst of the offshore scandal clearly doesn't inspire optimism in Trukhanov. And here the conclusion is obvious... They need to exit with minimal losses. And the only way to achieve that is through schemes. And for that, they need a successor.
Heir
Kotlyar, already a deputy mayor, gradually shifted his focus completely, refocusing his priorities from defense to regulatory work. Now he's the one who travels to controversial construction sites around the city and oversees the coastline. Naturally, this is the most lucrative position in Odessa.
But beyond the material component, this new direction also includes media support. The mayor's media pool is already actively distributing photos and videos of the indispensable deputy mayor at work, and extended interviews with him have even begun appearing in periodicals.
True, from Trukhanov's own perspective, it would have been better if they hadn't existed. Consider Kotlyar's remark to one publication: "In 2014, Trukhanov the mayoral candidate, and then Trukhanov the mayor, had all the leverage to create both Donetsk and Luhansk here, but he didn't do it."
As can be seen, such reports are clearly a weak point in Trukhanov's team. After all, when the Anti-Trukhanov Maidan was being forcibly dispersed, the mayor's office clumsily insisted that such actions were beneficial to Saakashvili... But after the AutoMaidan "surfaced," these allegations were mysteriously hushed up.
Meanwhile, the media is portraying the deputy mayor as a kind of D'Artagnan compared to everyone else. Time flies... And we'll see for ourselves soon how things turn out. But experience shows that successors often outperform their predecessors.
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