Hennadii Lahuta
Hennadii Mykolaiovych Lahuta was a Ukrainian politician who served as the governor of Kherson Oblast from 26 October 2021 to 9 July 2022. Lahuta was removed from office by the Russian military on 26 April 2022 during the Russian occupation of Kherson Oblast. He was removed from office by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on 9 July. He was a member of the We Have [to Live Here] party headed by the mayor of Kherson Ihor Kolykhaiev.
Political career
In the 2010 Ukrainian local elections, Lahuta was elected to the Chaplynka village council for the People's Party.Lahuta was elected in the 2015 Ukrainian local elections into the Kherson [Oblast Council] for Opposition Bloc.
Lahuta was re-elected into the Kherson Oblast Council in the 2020 Ukrainian local elections for the local party We Have to Live Here.
Lahuta ran for the Verkhovna Rada in the October 2021 early elections, to replace the mandate of Ihor Kolykhaiev. Kolykhaiev had given back his mandate won in constituency 184 in the 2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election to focus on his role as mayor of Kherson. Lahuta was the candidate of the party, led by Kolykhaiev, We Have to Live Here. Lahuta had been an assistant of Kolykhaiev in parliament. In the election campaign he withdraw his candidacy in favor of then Governor of Kherson Oblast Serhiy Kozyr of the party Servant of the People. In October 2021, Kozyr was elected into parliament, winning 62.6% of the vote Kozyr left the office of Governor on 26 October, being replaced by Lahuta.
On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. Immediately, Russian forces invaded Kherson Oblast, resulting in multiple Russian victories. On 2 March, Russian forces captured Kherson, the capital of the oblast. beginning a military occupation of the region. On 26 April 2022, Vladimir Saldo was appointed by the Russian military as head of the territory under their control, while Lahuta remained governor of the territory still held by Ukraine.
Lahuta was officially removed from office by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on 9 July 2022.