He did not clarify the journalist’s assumption that after the change of the head of the OP, the Dnieper mayor and the central government “began a thaw.”
“Can I not answer this question? It’s definitely become much easier to breathe. I don’t know why. Although with Andrei Borisovich [Ермаком] During the full-scale war I never crossed paths. The last time I saw him was in 2019, when there were elections,” Filatov said.
In his opinion, the administration of Vladimir Zelensky, under the new leadership, has stopped internal confrontations and focused on external interactions.
“I don’t know, this is at the level of sensations. Perhaps Kirill Alekseevich concentrated on the international track, the constant poking and searching for internal enemies is over. Moreover, imaginary internal enemies,” the mayor noted.
At the same time, Filatov pointed out that criticism of the central government by some mayors threatens persecution.
New criminal case. Personally, I'm not afraid. I feel sorry for people. People don't want to work, they're just tired of it. [Городской голова Киева Виталий] Klitschko gave an example that he has a subordinate who has eight suspicions. I have my own record holder, who has six suspicions. When they bring him to court, the judge is surprised: why did you bring him here? The man has three bonds, three personal obligations and house arrest. Can he run somewhere?” he explained.
Context
At the end of December 2025, Filatov said that the central government, when forming the state budget, deprives local government of financial resources and makes its work impossible. “Every year we are robbed, robbed, robbed… If the trend continues like now, in 2026 we will not have money, excuse me, to rake out the crap,” he said.
