Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko has rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s criticism of the capital’s preparations for winter. Their public dispute centres on protecting energy infrastructure from Russian attacks as the heating season approaches.

Zelensky said city authorities were falling behind on protective measures. Klitschko dismissed that assessment as baseless and said the city was preparing backup heating systems and essential supplies.

Zelensky questions Kyiv’s readiness

Zelensky said Kyiv was less prepared for winter strikes than even border and frontline areas. He said residents were already feeling the consequences, with even drone attacks causing serious interruptions to electricity and water supplies.

Klitschko rejected the president’s assessment and accused the presidential administration of trying to weaken local self-government. He also said it was seeking to remove him from the city’s leadership.

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The mayor said residents had elected him and that he was doing everything possible to keep Kyiv operating under extremely difficult conditions. In a Telegram post, he said the city continued to restore and repair infrastructure despite attacks day and night.

Mayor questions air-defence funding

A Czech news website reported that Klitschko also sought an explanation about billions allocated to protect Kyiv from air attacks. The currency and details of those allocations remain unclear.

Klitschko rejected accusations that city authorities were responsible for heating problems, according to the same report. He maintained that Kyiv had not been poorly prepared for winter.

Backup systems and supplies

In early October, Klitschko warned that Russian strikes and the approaching heating season were forcing Kyiv into survival conditions. The city was preparing backup heating systems, along with stocks of fuel, food and drinking water.

The mayor warned that a prolonged interruption to water supplies could trigger a large-scale crisis. His warning concerned the risk of an extended disruption, rather than only brief service outages.

The dispute comes amid further attacks on the capital’s energy infrastructure. Le Monde, cited by a Bulgarian news website, reported that a Russian strike hit an energy facility in Kyiv on October 13. Zelensky identified Thermal Power Plant No. 4 as the target.