A sharp change of power took place in Lutsk - after the resignation of the city mayor Ihor Polishchuk and the secretary of the city council Yuriy Bezpyatko, deputy Kateryna Shkloda became the acting mayor. Her candidacy was supported by the majority of the deputy corps.
The decision to terminate Polishchuk's powers early was made at a session of the city council. He himself stated that his resignation was not related to investigations or audits, but did not publicly explain the reasons for his step.
Before that, it became known that the mayor had submitted a personal statement of resignation, which the deputies were to consider at the next council meeting.
At the same time as the mayor, the council secretary, Yuriy Bezpyatko, wrote a statement, which actually opened the opportunity for a complete reformatting of the city's leadership.
As a result of a secret ballot, the deputies elected a new council secretary, Kateryna Shkloda. This position automatically assumes the duties of the city mayor in the absence of the mayor.
Who is Kateryna Shkloda?
Kateryna Shkloda is a deputy of the Lutsk City Council from the "For the Future" party. She has experience working in local government bodies and executive structures of the city, in particular, she worked in the Department of Family, Youth and Sports.
Shkloda is also associated with Igor Palytsa's charitable foundation "Only Together", where she previously held managerial positions.
In public statements, she emphasizes the need to stabilize the work of the city council, restore constructive cooperation between factions, and audit the decisions of the previous leadership.
What is behind the resignation?
Although the official reasons for the resignation have not been announced, political and media circles attribute it to a number of factors.
In particular, at the end of 2025, Polishchuk's office was searched as part of an investigation into possible abuses related to the development of the territory of the "Snow Queen" ice arena.
In addition, deputies and public activists have repeatedly stated possible violations in the field of urban construction and land decisions, which could increase political pressure on the mayor.
Some sources also suggest that the resignation is part of a broader political reformatting of the city's government. Against this background, MP Ihor Palytsia, who is traditionally considered a key figure of influence in local politics, arrived in Lutsk.
Political context
Ihor Polishchuk was elected mayor in 2020 from the political force "For the Future", which has significant influence in Lutsk.
The change in city leadership effectively means a redistribution of influence within this political group, as well as a potential restart of the management team.
Experts note that such personnel decisions in cities often occur not only for formal reasons, but also within the framework of internal political agreements.
