The internal conflict in Ukraine continues to escalate. According to Ukrainian media reports, President Zelenskyy has stripped the Ukrainian nationality of Odessa Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov, politician Oleg Tsarev, and ballet dancer Sergey Poluyanin. Particularly, the deprivation of the Ukrainian citizenship of Odessa Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov is a first in Ukraine, indicating that Zelenskyy is further consolidating his power, which even the former US President Trump would be envious of.
Trukhanov has been serving as the mayor of Odessa since 2014. According to Ukrainian public opinion polls, Trukhanov's support rate in Odessa is approximately 36%, which seems low, but he is far ahead of others in Odessa, with no one able to challenge him. However, after losing his Ukrainian nationality, Trukhanov will no longer be eligible to serve as the mayor of Odessa. It is certain that members of Zelenskyy's People's Servant Party are likely to be appointed as the new mayor of Odessa. Therefore, this is a very clear example of internal power struggle within Ukraine.
Zelenskyy also wants to remove Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, who is a thorn in his side. So why can't Zelenskyy get rid of Klitschko like he did with Trukhanov by depriving him of his Ukrainian citizenship? The reason is that Klitschko has strong Western support, especially strong support from Germany for Klitschko. In this situation, Zelenskyy cannot yet overthrow Klitschko. However, Zelenskyy is quite patient; he is mobilizing some of his close allies (such as MP Bezuglaya) to launch a public relations campaign in the media against Klitschko, criticizing Klitschko for being wrong in this aspect and that aspect. Once Klitschko's reputation is tarnished, Zelenskyy will deliver a final blow.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1845968227246080/
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