A revolt has erupted at "Mykolaivvodokanal" against the new director: the staff wants to appeal to Senkevych

In Mykolaiv, after a meeting of the staff of “Mykolaivvodokanal” with the newly appointed director Hennadiy Izyumov, employees said they intend to demand his dismissal from Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych. This became known from a video that was published by Ihor Bloshko. It is in this recording that complaints about the manager and a call to draw up a formal protocol-appeal addressed to the mayor are heard.

According to those present at the meeting, the acting director did not give clear answers to the questions that interested the company’s employees. The video contains accusations of “complete ignorance of the technologies, production and operation of the enterprise”. After this, part of the staff spoke in favor of preparing an appeal to the mayor demanding the replacement of the head. It should be emphasized: this is currently the position of the meeting participants as voiced on the video, and not an official decision of the city administration or the enterprise.

The scandal looks even sharper against the background that Hennadiy Izyumov was appointed director of “Mykolaivvodokanal” only at the end of January. At that time the city council explained that he has experience managing large infrastructure facilities, particularly in the field of water supply and wastewater, and previously headed the water utility in Mariupol.

One of the first high-profile episodes after his arrival was the public attention to personnel changes and internal communication within the enterprise. Separately, the name of technical director Vasyl Telpis has already been mentioned in the media space as a specialist who worked for years with Mykolaiv’s water supply system and commented on the company’s key technological issues. As early as January, it was Telpis who publicly explained the parameters of the city’s water quality.

After Izyumov’s appointment his public activity has repeatedly become a subject of discussion. In particular, at the management meeting on March 2 the mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych specifically asked him to speak Ukrainian. And already in early April Izyumov publicly commented on the state of the water in Mykolaiv, stating its gradual improvement, although it has not yet reached the norm.

The situation around the new head unfolded after the death of the long-time director of the enterprise Borys Dudenko, who led “Mykolaivvodokanal” since 2016 and died on October 15, 2025 after a serious illness. It was after this that a new stage of personnel decisions began at the enterprise, which now, it seems, has turned into an open conflict between part of the staff and the new management.

So far it is unknown whether this video will have a follow-up in the form of an official appeal to the mayor and whether the city administration will respond to it. But the very fact of such a public demarche within one of the city’s most important communal enterprises already looks like a worrying signal for Mykolaiv, where water supply remains one of the most painful issues.

Earlier we wrote:

• In Mykolaiv water is improving but still outside norms: high discoloration and turbidity
• “Theoretically you can drink it” — Izyumov: in Mykolaiv they decided to test the water with a glass in front of cameras
• Mykolaiv prepares to launch new filtration: city council transfers treatment facilities to Mykolaivvodokanal’s balance
• In Mykolaiv they “stabilized” tap water quality, – the management of the municipal enterprise “Mykolaivvodokanal”
• “Language lesson”: Sienkevych asked the head of “Mykolaivvodokanal” not to switch to Russian