Several hundred Kiev residents gathered in front of the Kiev City State Administration building demanding the resignation of Mayor Vitali Klitschko. The action lasted about two hours, with participants chanting “Kiev without Klitschko“ and “Resignation“.
The protesters held up banners with the inscriptions “Mayor or looter?“, “Klitschko resigns“ and “Kiev is not even ready for autumn“. Among their main demands are the insufficient number of shelters, the preparation of the capital for winter, the use of budget funds, the state of critical infrastructure and the development of green spaces and historical sites.
The protest and the position of the city authorities
The action was organized by civil movements, volunteers and veterans. Among the organizations listed as organizers are “March for Kiev“, “Passengers of Kiev“, “Avtomaidan“, “Semiarusna Gora“, “Spadshchina“, “Spalakh“, “Right to the City“ and Repair Together. Volunteers and public activists, including Alina Mikhailova, Sergei Sternenko and veteran Dmitry Kozyatinsky, joined the initiative.
Representatives of the party “UDAR Vitali Klitschko“ called on Kiev residents not to participate in mass gatherings due to the danger of Russian attacks. The warning was issued a day before the protest and was related to the risk to people of gathering in one place.
The local authorities reject accusations that they did not prepare the city for the heating season and did not take sufficient measures to protect critical infrastructure. Vitali Klitschko told the Verkhovna Rada: “We, as the city government, are trying with all our might to ensure the vital activity of the city, despite the blows that the central government constantly inflicts on us.“
The dispute over energy and shelters
The protest took place against the backdrop of a sharp dispute between the Kyiv city government and the central government over the capital's preparation for winter. Klitschko said that Kyiv is under constant attacks on energy and infrastructure, and the city does not control air defense.
However, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that by the middle of the month Kyiv was lagging behind other Ukrainian regions in implementing resilience plans. Prime Minister Sergei Koretsky also described the energy situation in the capital as one of the most severe in the country.
The mayor of Kiev warned earlier that the city could face a severe winter due to damage to energy facilities and urged people who can to temporarily leave the capital. So far, there is no evidence that the protest has led to a decision to resign or to an official procedure for early termination of his mandate.
Sources: rbc.ru, suspilne.media, radiosvoboda.org