Rating agency "ElitExpert" presented a list of twenty significant public figures of the Odessa region according to the 2025 version. The study was published on the website National rating platform and is designed to outline those who are actively shaping a new public agenda today — even if they do not yet have formal mandates.
"We sought to identify those whose activities are most actively and effectively manifested. People who have taken on responsibility and become new points of support for the region - each in their own niche," — emphasized Olena Ovchinnikova, founder of the rating agency "ElitExpert" and project manager.
The rating was formed in two stages. First, experts from a hundred candidates identified twenty leaders - by the level of social activity, reputation, media coverage and contribution to development. Then an open popular vote started: users were able to vote for those they trust, support and whose work they consider important.
The final list reflects a balance between professional expert assessment and the opinion of the general public, and the first on it is the environmentalist Ivan Rusev.
Rusev is a Doctor of Biological Sciences, Head of the Research Department of the Tuzlovski Limany National Nature Park since 2018. He participated in the creation of the Nizhnyodniestrovsky and Tuzlovski Limany protected areas, and from 2015 to 2017 he headed the park and opposed illegal logging and poaching - in particular, under the threat of physical violence.
Since the start of the full-scale war, Rusev has been documenting the impact of military operations and the consequences of shelling on the nature and ecosystem of the Odessa region and its reserves. To this end, he regularly appears in the press, reporting on the environmental consequences of the war.
Rusev is actively involved in environmental education: he conducts joint raids with volunteers to counteract and train in the fight against poaching, organizes master classes, such as for Earth Day, and generally actively involves the public in protecting nature.
Next comes Anatoly Boyko, has been heading the Odessa regional organization "Committee of Voters of Ukraine" since 2014. In this capacity, he has been exercising public control over the electoral process in the region for several years.
Boyko implemented a number of voter education initiatives, such as the "Vote Honesty — Elect Deserving" campaign, which included active information dissemination, involvement of volunteers in observation, and clarification of the voting procedure.
As the head of the regional organization of the CVU, Boyko is also a key figure in launching investigative journalism competitions aimed at combating corruption in the Odessa region — his organization even awarded regional journalists for materials that exposed unscrupulous officials.
And in 2025, Boyko remains one of the most influential public experts in the south of the country on issues of electoral rights, analytics, and public monitoring, regularly conducting research on the effectiveness of local government and objectively influencing electoral discipline and transparency of elections in southern Ukraine.
Also on the list is Iryna Biryukova — Director General of the Odessa National Scientific Library and an active figure in the cultural community.
Having taken over the library in January 2018, she transformed it into a public cultural and educational center open to a wide audience. Under her leadership, the library, which houses over 5,4 million documents — manuscripts, publications, engravings — has actively engaged in educational activities. The popularization of “summer reading rooms” and mobile online events has involved Odessa residents in a public dialogue on the protection and promotion of cultural heritage.
It is worth mentioning its new project, which is of particular public importance - the digitization of the rarest and most unique publications. In cooperation with the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation, it has provided free online access to a collection of engravings from the 16th to 19th centuries and rare book monuments included in the register of national cultural heritage. Thanks to this, the library has not only preserved its unique heritage for posterity, but also opened it to scientists, students, and the general public.
In addition, Biryukova actively integrated the library into a cultural and discussion space, entering into partnerships with 34 international institutions from 24 countries. Under her leadership, the library became a platform for public forums, lectures, and exhibitions, becoming an important public institution in Odessa.
Among the best and Yulia Fedorova — founder of the charity foundation "Trymai", which grew out of the Telegram chat "Mutual Assistance 7:40", created in the first days of the full-scale Russian invasion. Since March 2022, the foundation has been holding regular "Days of Support" for displaced persons, pensioners, large families and people with disabilities. As of 2025, more than a hundred large-scale events have been held in Odessa and the region, within the framework of which assistance - food, humanitarian, emotional - was provided to more than 10 thousand people.
In addition, the foundation is engaged in delivering humanitarian aid to the affected regions, including the Kherson region, and actively cooperates with shelters, supporting stray animals, and also takes care of a hundred children with special needs. The "Trymai" team includes dozens of activists, including displaced persons, people with disabilities, and veterans. Yulia pays special attention to cultural and emotional rehabilitation - as part of charitable events, exhibitions, concerts, master classes, and creative meetings are held.
It should be noted that Yulia Fedorova and the Trymai Foundation are long-standing partners of ElitExpert and have jointly implemented many social projects, including the Volunteer Talisman charity auction.
Mykhailo Reva — Honored Artist of Ukraine, famous Odessa sculptor, author of the monuments "The Twelfth Chair", "Tree of Love", "Angel of Mercy" and many others.
Reva founded the Reva Foundation and the Future Charitable Foundation, which support the Boris Litvak Rehabilitation Center. In 2025, he presented the exhibition "Diaries of Time" at the Odessa International Cultural Center UNION, dedicated to the impact of war on society and nature, which combined artistic and memorial content.
With Mykhailo Reva participates in the public life of the city not only as an artist, but also as an organizer of cultural events, investing in the development of the public art space of Odessa.
The rating includes Oleksandr Hordienko — sports popularizer and public organizer. He has held the position of President of the Odessa Oblast Boxing Federation since April 2024. Prior to that, he was the Deputy Chairman of the Federation for a long time, responsible for the development of regional boxing infrastructure and support for young athletes.
It was under him that the regional team was significantly strengthened: the number of participants in the Ukrainian championships increased by 40% compared to 2023, and boxers began to regularly qualify for the national selection.
Initiative Gordienko is also manifested in the educational sphere: it actively participates in the organization of master classes, training camps and seminars for young boxers. For example, the Federation organized three training camps for young athletes, including those invited from rural areas - all participants received equipment and accommodation free of charge. This directly contributes to the development of youth sports in the region.
Natalia Deliyeva heads the public Association of Women of Ukraine "Diya", which organizes educational activities, gender forums, and cultural events in Odessa.
She is also the inspirer of the initiative "Women's Action in the History of Ukraine", which immortalizes the names of outstanding but often forgotten Ukrainian women - their memory is restored through the installation of memorial plaques, actions, and events.
With the outbreak of full-scale war Deliev became an active volunteer. She provides the Odessa Marine Corps with bulletproof vests, hygiene products, and humanitarian aid, and also supports cultural workers — theater and film veterans. She helped organize the exhibition "Immersive Shevchenko", the funds from which went to humanitarian aid (over 4 million UAH).
Natalia Terekhova heads the humanitarian headquarters of the Good Samaritan charity fund in the Odessa region. Since the beginning of the war, the headquarters has worked three days a week, providing assistance to 500 people in need every day: distributing food kits, medicines, and social support to displaced persons, families of the deceased, and people with special needs.
Also Natalia initiated and develops the "Residence of Good" projects, including the "School of Professions" for displaced teenagers and psychological support programs for the elderly. During the war, the foundation provided over 1,5 million packages of medicines.
In addition, in public activities Terekhova focuses on the problems of widows of fallen defenders of Ukraine and families with disabled children, organizing special master classes and meetings for parents and children — in particular, the project "Moms in Dresses."
Next on the list is Angelina LyubchakShe became a prominent figure among socially active mothers of Odessa after the tragic death at the front of her son, Oleksandr Svishch (call sign "Farsh"), who was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine.
After this Lubczak initiated the association of relatives of fallen Heroes in Odessa. Together with other women, she went to the walls of Odessa City Hall every week with calls to increase financial assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and to provide memorial events to honor the memory of the soldiers, and demanded that the city authorities redistribute budget funds to the needs of the army and the families of the fallen.
In addition, she collaborates with public organizations, in particular, "Family of Angels of Light" and "Hearts of Mothers of Odessa Region".
How to have a fallen defender, Angelina Lyubchak publicly declares that the task of society and the authorities is not to leave the families of the dead without the necessary assistance, and in conditions of war - to provide maximum support to those who remained here. Largely thanks to her efforts and those of other activists, Odessa's Shevchenko Park finally has its own Heroes' Alley, following the example of other Ukrainian cities.
Veronica Etnarowicz — Director of the “Reach for the Sky” charity foundation, which has been successfully operating in Odessa since 2014. The foundation provides social assistance to mothers and children, especially internally displaced persons, and since 2022 — also to all families of displaced persons, and especially — to the Armed Forces.
Since 2023, Etnarovych has been an advisor to the mayor of Odessa on social and humanitarian issues on a voluntary basis, coordinating, together with UNHCR, assistance points for victims of shelling - organizing the issuance of compensation, products, building materials, and psychological support.
And the “Reach for the Sky” charity foundation, under her leadership, has been actively expanding its activities in recent years, participating in joint projects with international organizations and very often with the Odessa City Council, which has made it a prominent figure in the modern charitable movement in Odessa.
Valentina Khoruzh — is a member of the leadership of the public organization "Community of Volunteers of Ukraine" and is an ambassador of the "Movement without Barriers" project in Odessa. As part of the preparation of the first inclusive tram route in Ukraine "North-South" with a length of 64 km, she personally participates in on-site inspections of the accessibility of city infrastructure facilities — stops at each stop, checks ramps and tactile surfaces, and also participates in the development of the pedestrian part of the route.
In May–June 2025 Valentine actively advocated for accelerating the reconstruction of the Civic Center, beaches and sports grounds, emphasizing the need for not formal, but real results in the accessibility of the urban environment. At the peak of the project, Odesa received UAH 115 million in state funding to create a barrier-free route and transition to a full-fledged barrier-free infrastructure of the city.
Kateryna Nozhevnikova — heads the Monsters Corporation Foundation, which she founded as a volunteer group back in 2014. The Foundation provides medical, humanitarian and social assistance to children, pensioners, displaced persons and single mothers. Invaluable support to Odessa residents Knife and its fund provided during the COVID-19 pandemic: thanks in large part to Monsters Inc., the mortality rate from the disease in our region was lower than expected.
With the outbreak of full-scale war, the fund refocused on helping the country's defenders. It is conducting large-scale campaigns to purchase FPV drones for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and a variety of assistance — from underwear to bulletproof vests. In 2021 Katerina was awarded the title of "Honorary Citizen of the Odessa Region" for her services in volunteer and charitable activities, and President Volodymyr Zelensky awarded her the Order of Princess Olga, 3rd degree.
Elena Pavlova — since 2015, she has been working as an advisor to the mayor of Odessa on a voluntary basis and at the same time holds the position of executive director of the World Club of Odessans.
In the past, she was also involved in politics, serving as deputy mayor for humanitarian issues in 2011–2013, but is now focused on active work in the public sphere, heading the World Club of Odessans.
This club organizes cultural, educational and memorial events in Odessa and around the world. Its activities Olena combines with the creation of cultural platforms and participation in international forums, where it represents Odessa as a city with a unique multicultural identity.
Olena Velmozhko, as a press secretary and chief specialist of the Department of Health of the Odessa City Council, became the initiator and curator of the volunteer project "Donor Odesa".
From the first days of the war, the project went online via a Telegram channel, where activists publish applications from medical institutions and gather groups of donors. According to her, from the beginning of the full-scale invasion until the beginning of 2025, more than 6000 people donated blood — one and a half times more than in the pre-war period. Every day, from 10 to 50 donors respond to help the wounded and sick. Donor Odesa also organized a photo exhibition “From Heart to Heart” and a photo collage of donors to draw attention to the importance of regular donation. Moreover, the project recently Olena Velmozhko was recognized by the Association of Ukrainian Cities as an example of community cohesion in times of war.
Lyudmila Melnikova — Head of the "My Live Dogs" Shelter Center in Odessa, a volunteer organization and community called "Berserk," which is engaged in rescue, medical rehabilitation, and finding families for homeless dogs and other animals.
The center employs several dozen volunteers, and the shelter has provided a home for hundreds of animals, including dogs, a horse, and pigeons, that needed help and adaptation. At the same time Melnikov She practices as a lawyer and mediator, and is the vice president of the professional mediation organization ASIDI.
Denis Grigoriev — one of the most famous organizers of free sports initiatives in Odessa. After completing his career in professional Thai boxing, he created the Grigo GYM gym chain and has been conducting free open martial arts training in public spaces of the city for many years.
From 2015 to 2020, he was a deputy of the Odessa City Council. Recently Grigoriev devotes its efforts to the volunteer movement "Ukrainian Team in Odessa", within the framework of which it holds events and various significant projects - in particular, free sports and educational programs "Summer without War" and "Summer with the Ukrainian Team", as well as assistance to internally displaced persons and families of the deceased. Today Grigoriev combines sport, volunteering, and politics to support vulnerable groups and develop civic initiatives.
Alexey Morozov — public figure, advisor to the mayor on barrier-free environment. April 18, 2025 Alexey Morozov was appointed as an advisor to Gennady Trukhanov on issues of a barrier-free environment on a voluntary basis. He is the founder of the public organization "Bezbar'yerni" and the charitable foundation "Dopomog Odesa Oblast", and also has connections with politics - he heads the branch of the "Trust in Action" party in the Peresyp district.
Morozov actively participates in the creation of a coordination council on barrier-free access, advocates for the arrangement of accessible routes and infrastructure for people with disabilities and families with children.
Elena Rotary — organizer of the volunteer center "Let There Be Happiness." Before the war Rotary worked as the general producer of Channel 7, and since February 2022 she has switched to volunteer work and calls herself a "volunteer journalist."
During the three years of the war, her volunteer activities covered a wide variety of areas — from the usual distribution of food kits to displaced persons in Odessa and the region to the purchase and sewing of bulletproof vests, pouches, plate carriers of 4+ protection class, to the purchase and transfer to the front of thermal imagers, drones, and uniforms for Odessa servicemen.
Andriy Zarichansky — the owner of popular Odessa restaurants (“Oblaka”, “Yachta”, “Ryba”, etc.), whose public role, like his business activities, cannot be ignored. During the war, he and his team regularly organized volunteer food deliveries to the front lines — according to his own words, every week they loaded 10–15 trucks with thousands of portions for the Ukrainian military.
In addition to helping the front, Zarichansky is a patron of local projects: his family organized the All-Ukrainian competition "Ukrainian Taste", aimed at supporting Ukrainian culinary culture and catering professionals - the project was implemented with the support of the "Zarichansky Family" charitable foundation.
Despite his controversial reputation - the media often writes about scandals related to business conflicts, his public and volunteer activities have been recognized at the highest level - President Volodymyr Zelenskyy awarded him the Golden Heart award "for significant personal contribution to volunteer activities."
Also in the ranking — Yulia NikandrovaFrom 2019 to 2024, she was the head of the city's Children's Service. Nikandrova came to this position with a media background: before that, she worked as a journalist and PR specialist for many years, led campaigns to protect children's rights, and actively collaborated with social initiatives in the field of media safety for minors.
As head of service Nikandrova began large-scale internal reforms. In 2020, it carried out a series of "personnel purges" after a series of scandals and for the first time introduced the practice of open meetings of the service with volunteers, human rights activists and parental initiatives. This was a turning point for the entire structure: instead of a closed institution, a flexible system of responding to appeals appeared, in which great attention was paid to individual cases - especially in complex situations with guardianship, adoption and protection of children who have been subjected to violence.
