Remembering Ruslan Bodelan: His Contributions to Odesa

At the age of 83, we bid farewell to Ruslan Bodelan, the former mayor of Odesa and a notable political figure.

This was announced by the head of the regional military administration, Oleg Kiper.

Direct quote: "Eternal memory to Ruslan Bodelan. I express my condolences to his family and friends. His work was closely tied to Odesa's history — he held significant positions and actively contributed to the region's development."

Additional information: Bodelan served as mayor from 1998 to 2005, was also a member of parliament, and headed the Odesa regional state administration.

After the Orange Revolution, on April 26, 2005, a criminal case was initiated against him for abuse of power. On May 5 of the same year, he was placed on an international wanted list, but all cases were closed in 2010.

In 2005, Ruslan moved to Russia, where he worked in St. Petersburg, and in January 2006, he obtained Russian citizenship. He returned to Odesa in April 2010.