Volodymyr Buryak

Volodymyr Buryak is a former chief engineer of Rinat Akhmetov's Zaporizhstal plant and, since 2015, mayor of Zaporizhzhia. Buryak became mayor thanks to an aggressive advertising campaign paid for by Rinat Akhmetov. The candidate was positioned as a "strong manager", but in reality the new mayor became a puppet in the hands of the oligarch.During Buryak's first term, the international airport and certain infrastructure facilities were completed in the city, but the main problems were not solved. Zaporizhzhia remains one of the dirtiest cities in Europe, developers ruthlessly cut down trees and entire parks there, and the city authorities do patchwork road repairs and are completely dependent on the will of the oligarchs.Nevertheless, Zaporizhzhia residents stubbornly elect Buryak. In October 2020, he confidently won his second election with a result of over 60%.