--- title: "Klitschko calls on central government to stop 'appointing culprits' for Kyiv's winter preparations" description: "Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko has issued an appeal to the President, urging the central government to stop 'appointing culprits' for winter readiness and energy infrastructure attacks, demanding that specific unfulfilled city decisions be named." date: 2026-11-06T20:16:29.546Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/klitschko-urges-government-stop-blaming-kyiv tags: [ukraine, kyiv, vitali-klichko, winter-preparation, energy-infrastructure, local-government] author: "Alexander Buran, Marina Slivenko" publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Klitschko calls on central government to stop 'appointing culprits' for Kyiv's winter preparations ![Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko in military uniform sitting at a desk in his office](https://xab.info/media/2026/11/06/klichko-prizval-centralnuyu-vlast-prekratit-naznachat-vinovnyh/klichko-prizval-centralnuyu-vlast-prekratit-naznachat-vinovnyh-1.webp) ## Key Points - In his appeal, Klitschko stated the central government uses rhetoric that Kyiv is the 'worst' and urged to stop finding scapegoats - The mayor demanded to name specific unfulfilled decisions at the city level that supposedly caused the lack of winter readiness - Klitschko emphasized that attacks on energy infrastructure occur nationwide, the system is interconnected, and city representatives are not invited to planning meetings - Klitschko previously stressed the need for air defense systems to protect critical infrastructure from massive missile attacks Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko has issued a public appeal to the President of Ukraine in response to criticism regarding the capital's preparations for the winter heating season and the consequences of Russian attacks on energy infrastructure. In the address, posted on his Telegram channel and reported by RBC-Ukraine, the mayor stated that public accusations and the lack of proper cooperation between government levels complicate work under ongoing shelling. Klitschko emphasized that the country can only endure through joint efforts and constructive work by authorities at all levels. ### Criticism of the 'Central Government Mantra' In his appeal, Klitschko directly pointed out that, in his words, the central government has built a consistent rhetoric around Kyiv: "The mantra of the central government that Kyiv is the worst, constant manipulations, lies — it's a bad story." The mayor stated that in an attempt to get rid of him "by any means," by creating constant obstacles and not helping the capital, the central government is "effectively destroying Kyiv." He called this position a sign of disrespect toward the capital's residents, as well as to energy workers, utility staff, and other specialists who, he claims, "are doing the practically impossible around the clock, under shelling, while risking their lives." ### The Question of Specific Unfulfilled Decisions A key element of the appeal was a series of questions Klitschko addressed to the President. The mayor asked which specific decisions "at the city level" had not been fulfilled, leading to a lack of preparation for the heating season and for the "Russian special operation against Ukrainian energy," as the head of state puts it. Klitschko also noted that representatives of the capital's authorities are not invited to meetings discussing Kyiv's winter preparations, and asked at which sessions and with whom this work is being conducted. ### Winter Preparation and the Scale of Energy Attacks Klitschko recalled that Kyiv began the heating season on October 16 and questioned the logic of the accusation itself: how could the city government have prevented a "Russian special operation against Ukrainian energy." The mayor stressed that the country's energy system is interconnected and that attacks on energy facilities are being carried out throughout Ukraine, not just in the capital. According to him, this makes shifting responsibility exclusively to the city level of management pointless. ### Call for Cooperation and Air Defense Context Concluding the address, Klitschko called on the central government to "finally stop appointing culprits" and move toward joint, constructive work, noting that "there will still be time for conclusions." Previously, in another speech, the Mayor of Kyiv pointed out that air defense systems are necessary to protect critical infrastructure from massive missile strikes, and that protective structures themselves are not capable of ensuring the security of objects under conditions of simultaneous strikes on multiple targets. ## Accounts differ ### Reason for Kyiv's lack of preparedness for winter and energy attacks - **President of Ukraine (via Klitschko's phrasing):** Non-fulfillment of city-level decisions led to Kyiv's lack of readiness for the heating season and energy infrastructure attacks ([rbc.ua](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/varto-pripiniti-priznachati-vinnih-klichko-1793995891.html)) - **Vitali Klitschko, Mayor of Kyiv:** No specific unfulfilled city decisions have been named; central government creates obstacles and excludes city representatives from winter planning meetings; energy attacks are nationwide ([rbc.ua](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/varto-pripiniti-priznachati-vinnih-klichko-1793995891.html)) *Where they agree:* There are issues with heating season preparation amidst energy infrastructure attacks; both parties acknowledge the need to address the matter ## Fact-Check & Sources - ["Стоит прекратить назначать виновных": Кличко отреагировал на критику подготовки Киева к зиме](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/varto-pripiniti-priznachati-vinnih-klichko-1793995891.html) - Primary source. Contains direct quotes from Klitschko's Telegram appeal. Presidential claims about unfulfilled city-level decisions are reported indirectly via Klitschko's phrasing ('as the president claims'). There is no direct quote or official statement from the President in the material. ## FAQ ### What specifically did Klitschko state in his appeal to the President? Klitschko called for an end to public accusations and scapegoating, demanded that specific unfulfilled city-level decisions be identified, and pointed out that Kyiv's representatives are excluded from winter planning meetings. ### When did Kyiv start the heating season? According to Klitschko, Kyiv started its heating season on October 16. ### What did Klitschko say about critical infrastructure protection? The mayor previously stated that air defense systems are essential to protect critical infrastructure from massive missile strikes, as physical protective structures alone cannot ensure facility safety.