It has become known about the death of former Odesa mayor Ruslan Bodelan

It has become known about the death of former Odesa mayor Ruslan Bodelan

On Thursday, June 26, former mayor of Odesa, Ruslan Bodelan, passed away. The politician was 83 years old.

This was reported by the head of the Regional State Administration, Oleh Kiper.

«His fate was closely intertwined with the history of Odesa — he held responsible positions, participated in the development of the city and region, and left a noticeable mark in administrative management», — he wrote.

Ruslan Bodelan managed Odesa from 1998 to 2005. After Viktor Yushchenko’s victory in the presidential elections, he left Ukraine. At that time, a criminal case was brought against Bodelan for abuse of power.

Let us recall that on October 22, 2001, deputies supported by a large majority Bodelan’s proposed decision «On the introduction of trilingualism — Ukrainian, Russian, and foreign languages in the city of Odesa». This caused protests not only from the «Prosvita» society but also from a number of political parties in the region.

In 2005, he moved to Russia and lived in Saint Petersburg. He worked as the deputy head of the Saint Petersburg International Trade Port.

In January 2006, according to the official data of the Russian Federation, Ruslan Bodelan obtained Russian citizenship.

In April 2010, Ruslan Bodelan returned to the city. He allegedly left his job at the Saint Petersburg Sea Trade Port and, according to several agencies citing sources close to Bodelan, this time returned to Odesa for good.

In 2010, criminal cases against Bodelan were closed.