In an address to the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, on April 24, 2024, Zaporizhzhia city council secretary Anatoliy Kurtev, who has served as the city's mayor for the past three years, expressed a request for the creation of a city military administration. In his letter, Kurtev emphasized the pressure exerted by Ivan Fedorov, the head of the Zaporizhia Regional Military Administration, on the city government and attempts to "seize power in the city single-handedly." However, even after such an appeal, on the same day, 38 deputies of Zaporizhzhya City Council voted unanimously to remove Kurtev from the post of city council secretary and acting mayor.
Can this be considered a "political coup", as Kurtev claimed in a letter to the president? It is possible, but according to available information, Kurtev, who led the city of 750,000 people, deserved not only resignation, but also significant punishment.
In his letter to Zelensky, Kurtev denied Fedorov's accusations and declared his readiness for any checks and cooperation with law enforcement agencies. But are these accusations really groundless?
Kurtev's previous life was quite varied. He worked as a nurse, an orderly in the morgue, a doctor, the deputy head of the Forensic Medical Expertise Bureau, and also headed the Levaniv Cemetery and returned to the Forensic Medical Expertise Bureau, where he became the chief.
Kurtev also tried to become a deputy of the city and regional councils in 2015 from the UKROP party, but without success. However, in 2020, already under the banner of the "Servant of the People" party, he became a deputy and assumed the position of secretary of the city council. After the resignation of the mayor in 2021, Kurtev took over the position of acting mayor.
Despite the official financial data, which testify to Kurtev's modesty, it can be assumed that the position of the head of the city opened up various opportunities for him to earn money, especially in wartime conditions.
In his declarations, Kurtev never mentioned monetary savings, which may indicate that he lived on salary. His property was limited to a small house in the industrial district of Zaporizhzhia, an apartment given to him by his mother, and two plots of land. 
The mayor of Zaporizhzhia, Anatoly Kurtev, became the object of loud accusations of theft of humanitarian aid. However, can this be considered true? Law enforcement officers uncovered some unknown facts that cast doubt on his honesty.
Detectives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) discovered that the mayor rented an elite apartment together with his assistant in the center of Zaporizhia, but this was not reflected in his declarations. Also, in the declared declarations, there was no mention of the Toyota Land Cruiser 200 car that he used, and the amount of 9 million hryvnias that was found in his apartment.
NABU claims that Kurtev and his team appropriated humanitarian aid intended for the residents of the front-line Zaporizhzhia, which came from international partners. In the first days of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, officials seized 22 sea containers, 389 railway cars and 220 trucks with humanitarian aid from Europe, which were then sold through controlled business entities. The goods appeared in supermarkets and pharmacies, but the receipts for them were not issued.
Although the open criminal proceedings were transferred to the Main Investigative Department of the National Police of Ukraine, Kurtev was not informed of the suspicion. This caused indignation among local journalists, who believed that the case could be "buried". Currently, Kurtev continues to hold his position without facing criminal liability.
Anatoly Kurtev, former acting the mayor of Zaporizhia, became the object of loud accusations of embezzlement of the city's budget funds during the war. The investigation showed several dubious cases for which Kurtev should be responsible before the law, and not hold the position of mayor.
First of all, the disappearance of 1.2 million hryvnias, intended for the repair of basement premises, became the object of law enforcement attention. The repair tender was organized in such a way as to "play along" with the subcontractor company "Montazhni systemi". When this firm failed to win the tender, Kurtev canceled it and announced a new one, where the one he wanted won. However, the repair agreement did not contain any information about the address or scope of work.
Secondly, Kurtev spent 1 million hryvnias on the production of plates for a certain individual who received a suspicious deal without bidding. At the same time, the city hall spent money on inefficient works, such as paving in a low-traffic area and buying expensive coffee for officials.
Thirdly, the money allocated for the restoration of damaged buildings was used inefficiently. In the multi-apartment building, the funds for materials and works were overestimated by millions of hryvnias. As an excuse, Kurtev said that restoration is more expensive than new construction.
Fourth, the creation of the "Municipal Guard" cost the city 10 million hryvnias, but it did not receive a license for security activities. Moreover, there were facts that the money for this project was spent carelessly.
During the reign of Kurtev, the city witnessed a number of questionable decisions that shocked the community. Deputies and activists drew attention to the loss of funds and irresponsibility in spending the budget. Some deputies even protested, refusing to continue their work in the city council.
Not only the spending of money was the object of criticism, but also Kurtev's connections with Russia. Kurtev's brother received Russian citizenship after the annexation of Crimea, which caused a negative reaction in the public.
The second brother of the former mayor of Zaporizhzhia, Oleksandr Kurtev, lives in Ukraine, but regularly boasts about the awards of the Soviet Union on his page in social networks. This testifies to his unequivocal political views. Anatoly Kurtev himself, holding the position of acting the mayor of Zaporizhzhia, repeatedly expressed his gratitude for the help of the foundation of the pro-Russian oligarch Vadym Novinsky, who is currently under sanctions and expresses his condolences to the Russians.
Perhaps it was not only the desire for personal enrichment that pushed Anatoly Kurtev to corruption schemes with the budget of Zaporozhye, embezzlement of humanitarian aid and sabotage of aid to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Perhaps something more serious is hidden behind it, such as cooperation with the enemy. This remains only a version for now, but there is no doubt that these issues are worth checking out by law enforcement. It is also important to bring the criminal proceedings regarding the embezzlement of humanitarian aid to Zaporozhye residents to court. In such wartime situations, simple resignation is not a severe enough punishment.
