Kiev mayor accuses Zelensky of 'authoritarianism'

Ukraine “ reeks of authoritarianism ” and “ democratic institutions are being subverted under the pretext of war ,” accuses Vitali Klitschko, the former boxer who gained international notoriety as mayor of Kiev. Klitschko’s criticism has a clear target: Volodymyr Zelensky , with whom he publicly fell out more than a year ago.

Klitschko, who is believed to have presidential ambitions (he ran unsuccessfully in 2014), was recently overruled by Zelensky when he used martial law to install a rival military administration in the capital, which essentially strips the mayor of his powers.

“I once said that there was a smell of authoritarianism in our country. Now I think the country reeks of it ,” lamented the former boxer, who says he suspects that he would have already been dismissed – as other mayors have been – if it weren’t for his public notoriety.

Quoted by the British The Times , which reported in Kiev, Klitschko claims that the municipality has been paralyzed by “ searches, interrogations and threats of trumped-up criminal cases ”. Pressure from the regime is leading to council staff being unavailable in many cases to attend meetings where decisions are being made – which means that these decisions are not being taken due to a lack of quorum.

Klitschko has been a vocal critic of Zelensky since at least late 2023 , when he said the president was becoming “an autocrat” with similarities to the man who rules the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin. Most recently, in February, the mayor of Kiev criticized Zelensky for his handling of the peace negotiation process and his relationship with Trump.

“ Klitschko is a great athlete, but I didn’t know he was a great talker ,” retorted Volodymyr Zelensky, who before his career in politics was an actor in films and comedy series.

“Many mayors feel intimidated, but my celebrity status is a protection. You can fire the mayor of Chernihiv, but it is very difficult to fire the mayor of the capital, who is known to the whole world. That is why everything is being done to discredit and ruin my reputation,” the mayor of Kyiv told The Times.

The conflict between the two is rooted in suspicions of corruption in the capital, with the permissiveness or collaboration of officials in the city council led by Klitschko. Some of Klitschko's advisers were dismissed by the national anti-corruption department, in an operation called “Clean City”. This investigation exposed apparent widespread corruption under the mayor's watch - and seven of his subordinates have already been arrested, with three others under investigation.

An independent researcher consulted by The Times, Volodymr Fesenko, believes that the dispute between the two is more than just a political one. “There is a lot of money in Kiev. Some companies that support President Zelensky would like to have access to financial flows in Kiev,” says Fesenko, who questions the priorities that appear to be being followed.

“During the war, money should go mainly to defense, to protect the country, but there is a lot of construction,” Fesenko said. “In some other cities, even stadiums are being built. In Donbass, there are large urban park projects. The front line is close, and the money is not going to defense structures, but to green areas,” the investigator asked, noting that some of the detained city officials are believed to have committed irregularities in the area of ​​licensing.

Klitschko's former "number 2" in the city council, Petro Olenych, has been accused of accepting bribes to help young men (drafted into the army) flee the country. Another senior city council official, Denys Komarnytskyi, a former councillor, is under investigation on suspicion of embezzlement and has fled to Austria.

Klitschko does not hide the problems and assures that he fired eight of the employees investigated as part of the Clean City operation. “I have 4,500 employees in this building alone and about 300,000 employees working for the city,” he recalled, adding that “cases of corruption sometimes happen, but we react firmly and quickly . We cooperate with the law enforcement authorities, provide all necessary information and expect an impartial investigation of all cases.”