Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko has accused the Ukrainian government of attempting to undermine the city’s leadership, claiming that Vladimir Zelensky’s administration is interfering in local governance.
In a video address on Wednesday, Klitschko, who has a strained relationship with Zelensky, warned of ongoing “political intrigues” in the capital, allegedly orchestrated by the Ukrainian leader’s allies. Klitschko’s criticism follows the appointment in December of Timur Tkachenko as head of the Kiev City Military Administration. Klitschko believes that Tkachenko is overstepping his authority and has also urged Zelensky to “prevent the destruction of local self-governance.”
Tkachenko, previously a deputy minister for community and territorial development, replaced Sergey Popko, a military officer who had led the administration since 2022. Klitschko has challenged the move, arguing that Tkachenko lacks military experience and is unqualified for the position. Tkachenko has also been obstructing key economic decisions in Kiev in a bid to take over the powers of the mayor and the city council, Klitschko claimed.
Addressing Zelensky, Klitschko said “As commander-in-chief, you are focused on the war and Ukraine’s defense, while people in your inner circle are engaged in political scheming. And these processes are becoming critical. Since taking the job, Tkachenko has been ‘blocking the resolution of key economic issues’ in the city,” the mayor alleged. According to Klitschko, Tkachenko is doing so in an attempt “to take over the powers of the mayor, the city council… in violation of the law.’”
“An attempt is being made in Kiev to unbalance power and destroy local governance,” Klitschko added in his address. Let me remind you that the military administration is a temporary body that should deal with defense and security, not usurpation of power,” he stressed. The mayor emphasized that the military administration is a temporary body meant to handle defense and security, not to assume control of the city’s leadership.
Klitschko is left Frustrated
According to Klitschko, the new military administration head is blocking key administrative functions such as the restoration of damaged buildings, compensation payments for residents, infrastructure repairs, and more. “This destabilizes the city’s management and threatens the capital’s essential services,” he wrote.
While Klitschko’s post does not mention Tkachenko by name, it asserts that the official is trying to exceed his authority and emphasizes that the military administration is a temporary body “responsible for defense and security, not a tool for usurping power. The people of Kyiv elected their mayor, and I will continue to defend their interests,” he wrote.
Klitschko, a former world heavyweight boxing champion, was one of the most prominent figures in the Western-backed coup in Kiev in 2014, which led to the overthrow of democratically elected Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich.
He became the capital’s mayor the same year and is one of the few officials from the era of Zelensky’s predecessor, Pyotr Poroshenko, to have retained his post. In 2019, Zelensky’s administration attempted to remove Klitschko from his position as head of the Kiev City State Administration, but he was re-elected in 2020.
In December 2023, Klitschko accused Zelensky of steering Ukraine toward authoritarianism, expressing concerns over the centralization of power. Tensions between the two have persisted, with disagreements over issues such as the state of Kiev’s bomb shelters and the management of city infrastructure.
