Zelensky picks a fight with Kyiv Mayor Klitschko as mismanagement, Russian attacks push city to the brink

Ukraine's capital Kyiv, home to over 3 million people, has rarely been prepared for winter.

Frozen, icy sidewalks, bursting pipes, and year-long infrastructure collapse have been a key feature of the city under Mayor Vitali Klitschko.

Now, following Russia’s Jan. 9 attack, Kyiv has been pushed into a humanitarian crisis, leaving residents without heating, hot water, and electricity through the coldest winter in years.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has been open about who he holds to blame. Zelensky called the situation in Kyiv "especially difficult," slammed the local authorities, and compared the capital’s readiness to that of other cities — heavily bombarded Kharkiv — saying they were better equipped to handle the consequences of Russian attacks.

"Kyiv, unfortunately, has done much less — far too little has been done in the capital. And even these past few days, I haven't seen sufficient effort — all of this must be urgently corrected," Zelensky said on Jan. 14.

Klitschko hit back, dismissing the accusations as "groundless" and politicized. He said the government had not coordinated any joint response to the crisis.

Experts, who spoke with the Kyiv Independent, said that while the capital has been poorly run overall, the responsibility for the ongoing crisis lies with both the central and local authorities.

"The city was not prepared," Victoria Voitsitska, member of the supervisory board of the We Build Ukraine think tank, told the Kyiv Independent.

"Lots of things could have been done. But it seems like everyone was looking at each other, prepared to blame the other party for the misgivings that ordinary people are going through right now."

Zelensky's outbursts have also been expected. The president and the mayor have been in an open political conflict since 2019.

Observers see the back-and-forth as a power struggle for control over Ukraine's capital and its finances, while also pointing to Klitschko's presidential ambitions.

Zelensky’s leverage over the city comes from Kyiv’s unique status, both as a city and as a region. The mayor is elected and, historically, is also appointed by the president to lead the Kyiv City State Administration.

While Klitschko maintains both posts, during the all-out war, Zelensky has appointed Tymur Tkachenko to lead Kyiv’s Military Administration. The unclear division of powers between the two undermines the efficient governance of the city. Klitschko has accused Tkachenko of trying to take over the mayor's powers.

The standoff between Klitschko and Zelensky unfolds as Kyiv faces a dire situation.

Zelensky said the Kyiv leadership had "lost valuable time" and tasked the government with taking charge of resolving the consequences of the energy crisis in the capital and fixing the situation.

Since Russia began its consistent campaign against Ukraine's energy infrastructure in 2022, the defense of the country's energy grid has taken center stage, with authorities reporting on the construction of protective structures for energy facilities.

"Given the fact that we're a country at war, I believe that first of all, it was the responsibility of the central government to take full responsibility for preparing the country for the worst to come," said Voitsitska.

"We had a state of emergency in the energy sector for a couple of years already, so we should have changed the status quo of how to manage this situation a long time ago."

According to Oleksiy Kuleba, deputy prime minister and the community and territories development minister, Kyiv authorities failed to properly deploy a backup power system, critical infrastructure lacked backup energy sources, and there was no public communication with residents about what to do in case of power outages.

In May, Kuleba took charge of the task force preparing the country for the heating season, coordinating the actions of both central and local authorities. He also leads the task force dedicated to protecting energy infrastructure.

Kyiv has the largest local budget among Ukrainian cities, with a surplus. Voitsitska argues that the government could have reviewed local expenditures, helping to better prioritize its spending. However, despite having the surplus, Klitschko "irresponsibly spent funds," including on park renovation, she said.

The local authorities may still face bureaucratic hurdles, requiring approval from the central government to make certain decisions. But the tensions between Zelensky and Klitschko seem to be disrupting communication.

"It’s a pity that instead of supporting (the mayor), we are killing ourselves," Klitschko’s adviser told the Kyiv Independent on the condition of anonymity.

Voitsitska suggests Klitschko should have addressed the city's energy crisis needs and the issues he's facing with the central government earlier. The Kyiv mayor said that he hasn't had any personal meetings with Zelensky since the all-out war began.

Over the past four years, the city has also received substantial assistance from donors. Olena Pavlenko, president and co-founder of the Ukrainian DiXi Group think tank, said many international projects "did a lot for Kyiv's heat supply, with generators, with other stuff."

"The question is how much of that stuff was installed and whether it was destroyed before or not," she told the Kyiv Independent.

Despite his popularity abroad, Klitschko often faces criticism at home for how he handles the city, with his reputation further marred by illegal construction and corruption allegations involving his allies.

From the start of his presidency, Zelensky sought a loyalist to head the Kyiv City State Administration. But a legal provision stood in the way — under the law, the post belongs to the city's elected mayor.

Zelensky reportedly considered ousting Klitschko from his role as head of the Kyiv City State Administration after a Russian attack killed three people near a shelter in Kyiv in 2023.

The shelter was locked.

"If we focus on finding who is guilty and punishing them in the middle of winter, I think we might end up with no heat at all," Pavlenko said. "I would suggest keeping these investigations and punishments until at least after the heating season is over."

Note from the author:

Hello there! This is Kateryna Denisova, the author of this piece. Despite the ongoing flurry of diplomacy, here in Ukraine, we see no readiness from Russia to end its brutal war, as relentless attacks continue. My colleagues and I are working around the clock in the bitter cold of Kyiv to deliver you the latest updates from the ground.

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