'Multidimensional crisis' — Kyiv's civil society calls on Mayor Klitschko to give public press conference amid energy crisis

Representatives of 17 civil society organizations in Kyiv have called upon mayor Vitalii Klitschko to give an open press conference over the city's response to Russia's winter strike campaign on Ukrainian infrastructure.

Unscheduled power outages continue across the capital as a result of regular Russian missile and drone strikes, while Moscow's choice to also target the city's central heating infrastructure has seen entire neighborhoods without heating during one of the coldest winters in a decade.

In this environment, Klitschko's leadership of the city — which had been criticized long before Russia's full-scale invasion for corruption, chaotic development, and neglect of urban development — has come under increasing scrutiny.

"Kyiv today is in a state of multidimensional crisis — managerial, infrastructural, and communicational," the open letter reads.

"The full-scale war, regular strikes on energy infrastructure, economic problems, and rising social tension only exacerbate the city’s systemic issues."

Part of the motivation for calling for the press conference was Klitshcko's long-standing reluctance to confront criticism from Kyiv residents and civil society directly.

"The idea for a joint statement emerged a week ago at one of the meetings of civic organizations in Kyiv, and the statement was published this week," said Oleksandr Hrechko, head of the Passengers of Kyiv NGO focusing on public transport activism, to the Kyiv Independent.

"The issue is that Klitschko last held a public press conference back in 2019, and since then, for seven years, there have only been occasional interviews and media appearances with answers to pre-prepared questions."

On top of providing a space for Klitschko to respond to questions concerning the capital's critical infrastructure crisis, the open letter calls for a strategic vision of Kyiv's development to be communicated to residents.

Top issues to be addressed include the city's construction and property development policies, the status of large unfinished projects, the protection of Kyiv's historical and cultural heritage, accessibility, and support to the Ukrainian military.

In jocular comments made on Feb. 4 that were widely criticized on social media, Klitschko said: "When there is a lot of snow, the mayor is guilty, but when the weather is good, nobody mentions the mayor."

Klitschko, known around the world as a former heavyweight boxing champion, has served as mayor of Kyiv since June 2014.

Anastasiia Verzun contributed to reporting.

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