The government in Ukraine “smells of authoritarianism“, democracy has been destroyed, and many city mayors are intimidated. This was stated by the mayor of Kiev Vitali Klitschko.
“This is the destruction of democratic principles and institutions under the pretext of war. I once said that our country stinks of authoritarianism. “Now they stink“, he told the “Times“ newspaper.
Klitschko noted that “many mayors are intimidated“ and that only his star status saves him. "You can fire the mayor of Chernihiv, but it is very difficult to fire the mayor of the capital, who is known to the whole world," he added.
The conflicts between Klitschko and Volodymyr Zelensky, who represent different political parties, have been repeatedly exacerbated in recent years. Klitschko, in particular, accused the Ukrainian leadership of excessive desire to centralize power. The mayor of the capital also spoke of an attempt by the Ukrainian authorities to put pressure on the city administration, mass searches and the initiation of criminal cases on fabricated charges=