Politics · Germany · 4 hrs ago
Zelenskyy and Kyiv mayor clash over power cuts after Russian attacks
Zelenskyy criticized Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko over the capital’s preparation for power cuts.
Russian attacks have badly damaged Ukraine’s energy system, leaving people in Kyiv without electricity and water for long periods.
Klitschko said the city had supplied district heating since October 16 and that city representatives were not invited to the consultations Zelenskyy cited.
The two leaders disagree over who is responsible, with Klitschko saying damage to the country’s connected power grid cannot be blamed on the city alone.
Ukraine’s government is arranging generators, cables and other equipment with Germany and Spain to help people affected by outages.
Zelenskyy warned of further Russian attacks on energy facilities and key bridges over the Dnipro River, while Klitschko urged officials to work together and leave judgments until later.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blamed Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko for failures in preparing the city for the heating season and Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy system.
Klitschko rejected the accusation, saying the capital could not prevent attacks on a nationwide power grid and accusing Zelenskyy of manipulation and lying.
Residents and businesses in Kyiv face long power and water outages, while millions of Ukrainians are without heating, electricity or water.
The government says it is taking additional steps to help and has reached agreements with Germany and Spain for generators, cables and other equipment.
- Who
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
- What
- Zelenskyy blamed Kyiv’s preparation for severe outages after Russian attacks; Klitschko rejected his criticism.
- When
- The dispute was reported on November 6, 2026. Klitschko said district heating had been supplied in Kyiv since October 16.
- Where
- Kyiv, Ukraine; other affected areas include Dnipro, Kharkiv, Odesa and several regions.
- Why
- Russian attacks have damaged Ukraine’s energy system, causing power and water outages. Zelenskyy and Klitschko disagree over responsibility for Kyiv’s preparations and response.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Vitali Klitschko
Responsibility for Kyiv’s situation
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Zelenskyy said unimplemented city-level decisions to prepare for the heating season contributed to the particularly difficult situation.
Vitali Klitschko
Klitschko said Kyiv could not have prevented Russia’s attack on Ukraine’s energy system.
City preparations and coordination
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Zelenskyy criticized Kyiv’s preparations for the heating season and the Russian attacks.
Vitali Klitschko
Klitschko said district heating had been supplied since October 16 and that city representatives had not been invited to the consultations Zelenskyy mentioned.
Response to the crisis
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Zelenskyy said the government was taking additional measures to help those affected.
Vitali Klitschko
Klitschko called for constructive cooperation and said the search for people to blame should stop.
Russia intensified drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities.
Klitschko said district heating began being supplied in Kyiv.
Zelenskyy criticized Kyiv’s preparations for outages, and Klitschko rejected his accusations.
- Kyiv’s population
- 3 million
- District heating in Kyiv
- Supplied since October 16, according to Klitschko
- Countries in new agreements
- Germany and Spain
- Other affected cities
- Dnipro, Kharkiv and Odesa
- Affected regions
- Zhytomyr, Sumy, Cherkasy, Poltava and Vinnytsia
3 sources
What people are saying
These are the consequences of decisions not implemented at the city level to prepare for the heating season and for this Russian operation against Ukraine’s energy sector.
How could the capital have prevented the Russian special operation against Ukraine’s energy sector?
It looks repulsive in relation to the residents of the capital.
The country can withstand this only through constructive cooperation and the joint work of all structures and specialists.