Kyiv Mayor Klitschko Accuses Government of Staging Anti-Mayor Protest

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko accused Ukraine’s central government of orchestrating a protest demanding his resignation, alleging that officials were using criticism of the capital’s winter preparations and bomb shelters to push him out and tighten control over the city.

Speaking to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Klitschko said a group within the government wanted to remove him. He named no officials and offered no direct evidence linking them to the demonstration, pointing instead to similarities between protesters’ demands and criticism from national authorities.

“Everything is being done to establish a military administration, implement centralized control, create a hierarchical structure, and destroy local self-government,” Vitali Klitschko said.

The accusation adds to a longstanding struggle over who governs Ukraine’s capital — its elected mayor or officials appointed by the national leadership. The dispute has repeatedly focused on responsibility for keeping the city functioning and protecting residents during Russia’s war.

Kyiv already has a presidentially appointed military administration, established after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. President Volodymyr Zelensky said at the time that Klitschko would remain mayor and work alongside the military administrator, whose appointment was intended to strengthen the capital’s defense. The arrangement created parallel civilian and military leadership structures.

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Klitschko’s latest remarks concern what he portrays as an effort to sideline elected city authorities and concentrate power in that centrally appointed structure. They follow earlier accusations that a presidential appointee was obstructing his administration’s work.

Several hundred people gathered outside Kyiv’s city administration building on Oct. 17 to demand Klitschko’s resignation. Protesters criticized winter preparations, a shortage of shelters, spending priorities, and the loss of green spaces. Some argued that expensive urban improvement projects were inappropriate while the country was fighting a war.

The participants held signs reading “Klitschko, step down!” and “Mayor or looter?” and chanted “Kyiv without Klitschko” and “Shame.”

#Kyiv #Protest #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/C5teiWYVHT

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Vitali Klitschko cited the fact that the activists’ slogans coincided with the grievances voiced by the central government as evidence that the protests had been orchestrated by the central government itself.

Klitschko argued that criticism of the city’s readiness for winter was premature because the heating season had not yet begun.

He also rejected criticism over the lack of mobile shelters, saying Kyiv had more than 4,000 shelters overall. Mobile shelters are prefabricated protective structures, distinct from the city’s existing shelter network.

According to Klitschko, funding for mobile shelters had been allocated to district administrations but remained unused because none had submitted a request. He said he did not control the district administration heads and could not independently redirect the money.

The dispute leaves residents facing competing accounts of who is responsible for shortcomings in the capital’s wartime preparations. While protesters are demanding answers over shelters and spending, Klitschko maintains that the campaign against him is part of a broader attempt to weaken local self-government.

Separately, investigative outlet Slidstvo.Info reported on Tuesday, Oct. 20 that the central Kyiv building where Klitschko owns an apartment is exempt from scheduled power cuts. DTEK Kyiv Grids, the electricity distribution operator, told the outlet that the building and 10 other residential properties share a power connection with a critical infrastructure facility.

DTEK said the residential buildings cannot be disconnected separately from that facility during scheduled outages. The company said it receives the list of designated critical infrastructure sites from Kyiv’s military administration.

Klitschko, however, said his apartment also experiences power cuts, adding that he usually returns home late.