Odesa State Regional Administration's ex-head Maksym Stepanov has refused to step down from his post, saying incumbent President Petro Poroshenko's decree dismissing him is "illegal."

"The head of Odesa Regional State Administration is standing here in front of you. He has not said or written any resignation and does not plan to … Today, a couple of hours ago, a decree was published on the website of Ukraine's president about my dismissal. It is a very strange document, which I and my lawyers consider … has nothing in common with Ukrainian legislation. The document exceeds the grants of authority of the president as defined by the Constitution," Stepanov said in a video recording of a briefing at the Odesa Regional State Administration building on Monday posted by the Odesa-based Dumskaya ezine.