Society

Ostroh mayor apologises for drunken brawl and Russian songs on Defenders’ Day

The mayor of Ostroh, Yuriy Yahodka, apologised for beating a local woman. She made a remark to him when the drunken mayor and his deputies were singing “Oh, the viburnum is blooming in the field by the stream” in a public place on Defenders’ Day. This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to the politician ‘ s Facebook page.

“I had time to think about everything and draw conclusions. Yes, my fault is that, simply put, I got drunk. My fault is that I behaved in a way that is not befitting a mayor, not befitting a public person and not befitting a man. Therefore, I want to appeal to my colleagues, deputies, but first of all – to my voters and all residents of the Ostroh community,” Yuriy Yahodka wrote on 24 September, despite the fact that the incident occurred on 29 August.

Then, on the Day of Remembrance of the Defenders Who Died in the Struggle for Independence, Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity of Ukraine, local activist Lyudmyla Frankovska reported the beating to the police.

According to her, she was passing by the local library, which houses the Centre for Culture and Leisure, and heard Russian music playing. The woman went inside to make a comment and found Yuriy Yahodka drunk. He was singing “Oh, the viburnum is blooming in the field by the brook” with his deputies.

After the remark and a short conversation, the official allegedly reacted aggressively and attacked the woman with his fists. As a result, the victim filed a complaint about the infliction of bodily harm.

In early September, local residents of Ostroh picketed because of the woman’s beating, as well as other cases when the mayor allegedly insulted and threatened them.

Yahodka himself did not answer the phone for a long time and did not comment on the allegations, but only on 24 September – almost a month after the incident – he published a post on Facebook with an apology.

He apologised to his constituents who were feeling “disappointed and ashamed”, to his opponents “who are now trying to use the situation to their advantage”, and to his family and friends.

The mayor of Ostroh also believes that the politicians demanding his resignation allegedly want to gain “power without elections”, but expressed his readiness to “be punished according to the law”.

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