Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko: Zelensky wants to strip me of Ukrainian citizenship

The mayor of Kyiv said that the Ukrainian authorities believe that he has German citizenship. He himself denies it.

"After I signed the letter, I had a suggestive conversation: "You are so proactive, we have not taken up your German citizenship yet.” I say: "I will be very surprised if they show me my German passport and take it away,” Vitali Klitschko retold the dialogue without specifying whom he talked to exactly.

Vitali Klitschko, a former boxer, admitted that he spent most of his life in Germany and the United States. He did have an opportunity to obtain citizenship of these countries.

"They made me such proposals, but what for? I was and remain a citizen of Ukraine, I have no other passports,” the Mayor of Kyiv said.

Sources of the Ukrayinska Pravda publication reported in July that Volodymyr Zelensky was considering revoking the citizenship from several influential politicians and entrepreneurs. In addition to Korban, Zelensky's office considers businessman Igor Kolomoisky and co-chairman of the pro-Russian party "Opposition Platform — For Life" Vadim Rabinovich.

Gennady Korban is a Ukrainian politician and businessman. In 2014, he served as deputy head of the Dnipropetrovsk region (the region is headed by businessman Igor Kolomoisky). Korban has been in charge of the territorial defense forces of the region since February.

The decision of the Ukrainian authorities to strip Korban of Ukrainian citizenship was reported at the end of July. He said that border guards did not let him into the country and took away his passport having referred to Zelensky's decree. Korban then turned to the president with a request to help him enter Ukraine.