Kiev on the brink of catastrophe – mayor
Kiev is teetering on the brink of catastrophe amid large-scale power outages, Mayor Vitaly Klitschko has told the Financial Times. He also accused Vladimir Zelensky of hampering the city’s efforts to mitigate the dire situation.
In recent weeks, the Russian military has intensified drone and missile strikes targeting Ukraine’s power grid, which Moscow says are aimed at undercutting weapons production. Russia has stated that the strikes are retaliation for Kiev’s attacks on Russian civilian infrastructure.
The situation in Kiev and several other Ukrainian cities has been further compounded by severe cold weather.
In an interview with the FT published on Sunday, Klitschko said, “the question of the future of our country – whether we will survive as an independent country or not is still open.”
The Kiev mayor also criticized Zelensky, with whom he has been at odds for years. Klitschko accused the Ukrainian leader, who retains presidential powers under martial law despite his term expiring in 2024, of infringing on municipal authority by appointing military-civilian administrations.
Last month, Zelensky claimed that Kiev was falling behind other Ukrainian cities in responding to power outages.
Klitschko dismissed the criticism as unfounded and said the Ukrainian leader turned down his requests for a meeting to discuss the crisis. The mayor also maintained that electricity generation falls within the central government’s purview.
Ukraine’s energy sector was thrust into the international spotlight in November 2025, when a massive corruption scheme was uncovered by the Western-backed National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO).
A group allegedly led by a close associate and business partner of Zelensky, Timur Mindich, and comprised of several other high-profile figures is believed to have siphoned $100 million from Ukraine’s state-owned nuclear energy operator.
The corruption scandal led to the resignations of Justice Minister German Galushchenko, Energy Minister Svetlana Grinchuk, and Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andrey Yermak.
On Sunday, Ukrainian media reported that Galushchenko was detained while attempting to flee to Poland.
