President Zelensky in Heated Exchange with Kyiv Mayor: "City Authorities Not Adequately Prepared for Ceasefire"

Kyiv Mayor "Zelensky Manipulates Photos Amid Political Dispute"

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, criticized the authorities of Kyiv city for inadequate preparations amid worsening power outages caused by Russian airstrikes, which led to a backlash from the Kyiv mayor and a verbal dispute. As the war prolongs and preparations for winter increase hardships for civilians, responsibility disputes among officials within the Ukrainian government are spreading.

According to CNN on the 27th (local time), on the 25th, President Zelensky publicly criticized, saying, "The Kyiv mayor has not properly prepared emergency shelters," and "There is growing dissatisfaction with the city authorities' insufficient preparations."

Vitaliy Klychko, Mayor of Kyiv, immediately responded to President Zelensky's remarks. On that day, he stated via Telegram, "I especially do not want to be involved in political struggles in situations like this. This is reckless, and I have duties to perform in the city," adding, "We have installed 430 shelters throughout Kyiv and plan to build 100 more."

Mayor Klychko criticized, "Zelensky's camp is posting incomprehensible photos on the internet to undermine the city authorities' efforts," and said, "This is not good for Ukrainians or foreign collaborators. Today, more than ever, we all need to unite and cooperate, but here a kind of political game is taking place."

The party led by President Zelensky, 'Servant of the People,' also criticized Mayor Klychko. David Arakhamia, the floor leader of Servant of the People, said, "What Kyiv residents actually feel is quite different from what Mayor Klychko explains," and demanded an on-site investigation of the shelters. He added, "The city authorities should correct mistakes within a week, and I propose that the parliament and the mayor jointly conduct an investigation into the shelters."

Meanwhile, Mayor Klychko, leader of the Ukrainian opposition party, is known to have had several disputes with President Zelensky regarding Kyiv city administration even before the Ukraine war. A former heavyweight world champion boxer, Mayor Klychko has served as Kyiv mayor since 2014. He also serves as the leader of the Ukrainian opposition party 'Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform (UDAR).'