Why are Zelenski and Klitschko fighting? The nerve center in the Ukrainian capital that brought out an old conflict

Ukraine's capital, Kiev, with a population of more than 3 million, has rarely been prepared for winter.

Icy pavements, broken pipes and infrastructure collapse throughout the year have been a key feature of the city under Mayor Vitali Klitschko. Now, following a new massive airstrike by Russian forces on January 9, Kyiv has been pushed into a humanitarian crisis, leaving residents without heating, hot water and electricity in the coldest winter in recent years, The Kyiv Independent wrote on Tuesday.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has not hesitated to speak openly about those he holds responsible. Zelenski described the situation in Kiev as “particularly difficult”, criticized local authorities and compared the capital's preparedness with that of other cities – such as heavily bombed Kharkiv – saying they appeared better equipped to deal with the consequences of Russian attacks.

“Unfortunately, Kyiv has done much less – far too little has been done in the capital. And even in recent days, we have not seen enough efforts – all this needs to be corrected urgently,” Zelenskiy said last Wednesday, January 14.

Klitschko hit back, calling the allegations “baseless” and politicized. He also said the government had not coordinated any joint response to the crisis.

“They were all looking at each other,” ready to pass the blame

Experts who spoke to the Kyiv-based publication said that while the capital has been mismanaged as a whole, responsibility for the current crisis lies with both central and local authorities.

“The city was not ready,” said Victoria Voitsitska, a member of the supervisory board of the We Build Ukraine think tank. “A lot of things could have been done. But it seems that everyone was looking at each other, ready to blame the other side for the problems that ordinary people are going through at the moment,” she added.

Zelensky's outburst was expected. The Ukrainian president and the mayor of Kyiv have been in open political conflict since 2019.

Observers see this dispute as a power struggle for control of Ukraine's capital and its finances, also pointing to Klitschko's presidential ambitions.

Zelenskiy's leverage over the city stems from Kyiv's unique status as both a city and a region. The mayor is elected and historically appointed by the president to lead the Kyiv City Administration.

While Klitschko held both positions, during the war, however, Zelenski appointed Timur Tkachenko to head the Military Administration of Kiev. The unclear division of powers between the two undermines effective city governance. Klitschko accused Tkachenko of trying to usurp the mayor's powers.

The dispute between Klitschko and Zelenskiy comes as Kyiv faces a dire mid-winter situation.

Zelenskiy claimed that Kyiv's leadership had “wasted precious time” and tasked the government with dealing with the consequences of the capital's energy crisis and remedying the situation.

Since Russia began its consistent campaign against Ukraine's energy infrastructure in 2022, defending the country's energy grid has become a priority, with authorities reporting the construction of protective structures for energy facilities.

“Given that we are a country at war, I think it was first and foremost the job of the central government to take full responsibility for preparing the country for the worst,” Voitsitska said.

“We have been in a state of emergency in the energy sector for several years now, so we should have changed the status quo on how to manage this situation a long time ago,” she added.

The largest local budget, spent including for the renovation of parks

According to Oleksii Kuleba, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Community and Territorial Development, Kyiv authorities have failed to properly implement a backup power supply system, critical infrastructure lacks backup power sources, and there has been no public communication with residents about what to do in the event of power outages.

In May, Kuleba took over the leadership of the working group preparing the country for the winter season, coordinating the actions of central and local authorities. He also leads the working group dedicated to protecting the energy infrastructure.

Kyiv has the largest local budget among Ukrainian cities, even with a surplus. Voitsitska argues that the government could have reviewed local spending, which would have contributed to a better prioritization of spending. However, despite the surplus, Klitschko “spent the funds irresponsibly”, including on park renovations, she said.

Local authorities may still face bureaucratic hurdles, requiring approval from central government to make certain decisions. But tensions between Zelenski and Klitschko appear to be visibly disrupting communication between the center and local government.

“It's a shame that instead of supporting him (the mayor), we destroy each other,” a Klitschko adviser told the Kyiv publication on condition of anonymity.

Voitsitska suggests that Klitschko should have taken up the city's energy crisis and the problems facing the mayor earlier with the central government. The mayor of Kyiv said he had not had any personal meetings with Zelensky since the beginning of the Russian invasion.

“The question is…”

Over the past four years, the city has also received substantial assistance from external donors. Olena Pavlenko, president and co-founder of the Ukrainian think tank “DiXi Group”, says that many international projects “made a significant contribution to the supply of thermal energy to Kiev, with generators and other equipment.”

“The question is how much of this equipment was installed and whether it was destroyed or not,” she said.

Despite his popularity abroad, Klitschko (a famous boxer in the past) often faces criticism at home for the way he runs the city, with his reputation further tarnished by allegations of illegal construction and corruption involving his allies and associates.

Since the beginning of his presidential term, Zelenskiy has been looking for a loyal person to lead the Kyiv City Administration. But a legal provision stood in his way – according to the law, the position belongs to the elected mayor of the city.

Zelenski is said to have considered ousting Klitschko as head of the Kyiv City Administration as early as 2023 after a Russian bombing killed three people near an air raid shelter in Kyiv. People died because that bunker was locked.

“If we focus on finding the guilty and punishing them in the middle of winter, I think we could end up without heat,” said Olena Pavlenko. “I would suggest that we postpone these public charges and punishments at least until after the winter season is over,” she added.