“Almost Complete Failure”: Zelenskyy Blasts Klitschko Over Kyiv’s Winter Preparedness. But Who Didn’t Pay?

Let’s start with the trigger day.

On the night of October 9, Russia launched 136 attack drones — Shaheds, Gerberas, Parodias — at Ukraine. Air defense shot down 114. But hits on substations in Kyiv caused cascading failures. The result: the green metro line lost power, surface transport froze in the Obolon, Podil, and Sviatoshyn districts. Emergency blackouts. A transport collapse in the capital.

And on that same day, President Zelenskyy held a staff meeting with military and government officials. His message: “We separately identified tasks for Kyiv — because the city authorities have almost completely failed to take the necessary steps.” He stressed the personal responsibility of the Infrastructure Ministry and regional administrations. But the main target was obvious — Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.

What exactly was supposed to be done?

The Kyiv Resilience Plan was approved by the National Security and Defense Council on August 5. Its total cost: UAH 37 billion (down from an initial UAH 67 billion after “optimization”). The city committed to cover over UAH 22 billion, the state — UAH 15.5 billion. Roughly a 50/50 split. The plan included backup heating capacity of 1,600 MW, installation of 700 generators at heat and water facilities, cogeneration plants, and uninterrupted power for water supply. As of August, the completion rate for restoring damaged energy infrastructure was 65%.

Sounds decent. But the president says almost nothing has been done. Where’s the truth?

Here’s the problem: no source provides a specific list of what exactly hasn’t been done.

Zelenskyy’s statement is general. He doesn’t say “X generators not installed” or “Y kilometers of networks not laid.” He says “almost complete failure to take steps.” It’s a political strike, not a performance report.

But there are numbers from the other side.

Klitschko does have ammunition.

First, the city had already accumulated over UAH 10 billion for the plan. Second, on October 9, the Kyiv City State Administration (KCSA) announced that the state had unblocked payments for several key projects — backup heating, cogeneration, water supply. Which payments? Those that had been frozen “during active implementation.” When exactly they were blocked and by whom — KCSA didn’t specify. But the fact is: projects stalled because state funding was cut.

And here’s the killer number: the Cabinet of Ministers allocated only UAH 2 billion out of the UAH 15 billion the city requested under the parity financing arrangement. 2 out of 15. That’s 13% of what was promised. Now the president blames the city for failing to implement a plan that can’t be executed without that money.

Media Visnyk’s logic: if the state didn’t provide the funds, whose failure is this?

Of course, Klitschko is no angel. Kyiv is a huge city with a bloated bureaucracy, corruption risks, and a tradition of slowness. But when the president accuses the mayor of “almost complete failure” without specifying what’s undone, while his own government has reneged on financial commitments, it looks like a blame-shifting exercise.

MP Oleksiy Kucherenko, a former housing minister, pointed out that the presidential decree of August 31 places personal responsibility on heads of regional administrations and mayors but doesn’t mention the government’s responsibility at all. The phrase “draw the attention of the Kyiv mayor” was a pre-written script for who would be scapegoated.

Klitschko responded in his trademark style: “At least I speak honestly and warn people about the extremely difficult situation. And I don’t care about ratings or phantom elections.” That’s a direct jab at the Presidential Office, which is rumored to be preparing an early mayoral election.

What does this mean for Kyiv residents?

It means the political ping-pong between Bankova Street and the KCSA continues, while winter is already at the door. On October 9, Kyiv residents felt firsthand what an energy system collapse looks like. And it won’t be the last time. Russia will keep hitting power infrastructure.

The real question isn’t who’s to blame — Zelenskyy or Klitschko. The question is whether they will do anything to prevent Kyiv from freezing. So far the answer is grim: money hasn’t been allocated, the plan isn’t implemented, and responsibility is diffused among the president, the mayor, the Cabinet, and the Infrastructure Ministry.

One last thing: we still don’t know which specific “steps” are unfulfilled. The president didn’t name a single concrete item. The mayor didn’t refute a single concrete item. Perhaps because a detailed plan with deadlines and responsible parties simply isn’t public.

Kyiv residents, prepare for winter on your own. It seems there’s little to expect from either the state or the city.