Ukrainian Mayor living in the Déise

At a recent event in the Central Library Waterford, Waterford News & Star photographer Joe Evans captured a photo of the Mayor of Waterford and the former Mayor of a Ukrainian town.

Vitalií Palahuta and Mayor Waterford City and County Council Cllr Jason Murphy shook hands and had a brief chat.

It was a funny meeting of the two mayors, as others compared their differences in clothes and hair-styles (it was agreed that the Mayoral chain would work well over a Nirvana t-shirt). 

Soon after the event, the Waterford News & Star had the chance to sit down with Vitalií and, with the help of interpreter Michael Shev, got to know a little more about his life before and after coming to the Déise. 

Russo-Ukraine War

The world watched in shock and fear when the Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 22, 2022. 

The ongoing war has devastated millions, and has led to the displacement of millions of Ukrainian men, women and children. 

Vitalií Palahuta and his family are just a few of the many millions whose lives have changed irreparably due to war. 

After a successful term at the helm as Mayor, Vitalií was still working in the community when war broke out.

Curfews were introduced and air raids became the norm. 

People rallied to help each other throughout the war.

In the town, the community set up 'Closet for Good', a place where people could bring and donate food, books, clothes and every other kind of necessity. 

Vitalií was able to take food to people who were unable to leave their homes, and his restaurant became a safe spot for Ukrainian militants. 

Eventually, Russian military began targeting such spots, and attacked the café of a friend of Vitalií's.

Thankfully, his friend survived the attack. 

Mayoral years

Hailing from the town of Manchenky, located in the Kharkiv Oblast region, Vitalií was just opening a restaurant and was still working within his community. 

Prior to becoming Mayor, he had opened a successful salon 'Charisma' that taught up to 30 people in cosmetology.

Vitalií was the Mayor of Manchenky from 2015 until 2020, having won in a landslide election for his anti-corruption platform. 

During his years as Mayor, he helped bring about a playground, improved school facilities and medical centres for the people. 

Under his stewardship, the local hospital went under renovation and a sports hall was built. 

Unlike most Irish local area authorities, Ukrainian local authorities are not fully controlled by the central government. 

This, alas, can lead to widespread corruption in local politics, including cronyism, nepotism and pilfering of the public purse for self-serving officials. 

Vitalií was planning to run again in a nearby city when war broke out. He was able to use his connections and knowledge as Mayor to help people. 

Ireland

As the war continued, it became clear how deeply Vitalií's children were affected. 

Manchenky is located 33km to the west of Kharkiv, the second largest city in Ukraine. 

Kharkiv and its surrounding towns and cities are frequent targets for the Russian army. 

In May 2024, it was reported that the Russian army had opened up a new front in the Kharkiv region. 

Vitalií said: "The children couldn't sleep. My daughters would cry when a door would close because they would think it was a Russian missile."

The decision to leave Ukraine was not an easy one. 

As Vitalií said: "If it weren't for my family, I would still be there."

When he arrived in Waterford in December 2023, Winterval was in full swing, much to the delight of his little girls. 

He felt that the bright festivities helped ease the transition for his daughters, and now they are excited for the upcoming festival.

As for Vitalií, the future is uncertain as the war back home continues. His family are settling happily in Waterford, and he hopes to set up a food truck business in the Déise.