Hundreds protest in Kyiv demanding Klitschko resign over unprepared winter

Protest in central Kyiv

Several hundred people gathered in central Kyiv on 17 October to demand that Vitali Klitschko step down as mayor. The rally was announced in advance by the "March for Kyiv" community and veteran Dmytro Koziatynskyi. Protesters carried placards reading "Kyiv without Klitschko", "Where are the shelters?", "Resign" and "12 years of irresponsibility". One sign said Kyiv is not ready even for autumn, and another said it is too late for Klitschko to start working now.

A counter-protester held a sign reading "Zelensky, stop. Don't touch Klitschko" and argued that only an election can remove a mayor. Klitschko's Udar faction had urged residents to stay away, citing the security situation and warning that a large crowd could be hit by a jet-powered Shahed-type drone.

Winter preparations and outages

According to Reuters, the grievances cover the slow installation of mobile shelters, illegal property projects in protected green areas and the way municipal budget money is allocated during the war. Kyiv has faced power and water outages since 30 September as Russia steps up attacks on energy infrastructure. Klitschko announced on 11 September that mobile shelters would be installed at public transport stops, but by 15 October only one was working, far below the original promises.

In an interview with Ukrainska Pravda, Serhii Gorkutsenko, deputy director of the municipal water utility Kyivvodokanal, said the utility's electrical system dates from the 1970s and fails under voltage fluctuations. He warned that without a working sewage system the city could face an epidemiological disaster within three days.

Zelensky's criticism and the legal obstacle

On 13 October President Volodymyr Zelensky said resilience plans had been carried out more effectively in nearly all regions of Ukraine, including border and front-line areas, than in the capital. Removing the mayor is complicated by Kyiv's special administrative structure and the wartime legal framework.

Not all protesters agreed with the call for resignation. A woman at the rally argued that Zelensky has no right to remove Klitschko and that a mayor can leave office only after an election. Protesters also mocked the mayor's suggestion that residents consider leaving the city before a difficult winter.

Demands and allegations

The organisers' statement, published the day before the rally, put the responsibility squarely on the mayor.

For 12 years Klitschko had the appropriate powers and resources. He should bear political responsibility and leave office.

The organisers said the mayor could resign, lose office through a court ruling or an election, hand his powers to a military administration or join the army. Residents of the Teremky district had already protested on 7 October against the mass felling of trees for a heating pipeline. Veteran Oleh Symoroz accused a construction mafia, whose main face he named as Klitschko, of destroying parks such as the Osokorky ecopark. Other allegations include corruption, favouritism towards developers, a lack of decisions to protect historic buildings, a degraded public transport system and ignored petitions. Libertatea judged the mayor's resignation unlikely.