Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko has hit back at criticism from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over emergency preparations, arguing that district officials responsible for shelter delays answer to the presidency rather than City Hall.
Speaking in an interview with Ukrainian television channel Channel 5, Klitschko addressed accusations surrounding municipal shelters as the capital faces constant Russian air strikes. He said district administrations failed to spend 500 million hryvnias allocated last autumn for the purchase of mobile bomb shelters, leaving the project uncompleted after officials offered excuses about time constraints and contracting paperwork.
In comments also reported by the website Sport.ua, Klitschko insisted he has no legal power to reprimand or dismiss the district heads responsible because their offices fall directly under President Zelenskyy's vertical of power. The former world heavyweight boxing champion noted that he has limited influence over those bodies, pointing to previous disputes reported by The Kyiv Independent regarding the centralization of power and the withholding of funds.
Dispute over winter task force
The criticism from Zelenskyy came as the head of state accused the mayor of failing to act decisively on behalf of Kyiv, stating that Klitschko should be telephoning and meeting with people who could assist the capital instead of expecting the president to do so.
The friction intensified after the 48-year-old president ordered Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky to create a special task force to prepare the city for the challenges of the coming winter. Klitschko, who recently faced protests from Kyiv residents, is reportedly reluctant to accept that assistance, allegedly out of concern that he could lose his position.
The confrontation comes amid relentless Russian aerial attacks on the Ukrainian capital. Klitschko said that when air raid alarms sound, he prays to God and relies on air defences, explaining that the life of the city depends on them.
Evacuation warnings and Putin aims
With conditions increasingly difficult, Klitschko suggested that some residents could consider leaving the capital. However, he emphasized that he would never urge a total evacuation, warning that such a move would fulfill the goals of Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose best scenario would be Ukrainians abandoning their country and leaving behind deserted cities.
Klitschko has served as mayor of Kyiv since June 2014, entering municipal politics after dominating the heavyweight boxing division as a multiple-time world champion. Zelenskyy, who took office as president in May 2019, has clashed repeatedly with City Hall over local administration and resources, creating enduring friction between the capital's elected leadership and the central government.
As winter approaches, the special task force instructed by the president faces the task of readying the capital for cold weather and further air strikes, while the mayor continues to resist government intervention in the city's administration.
