Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said in an interview with "Babel" that between him and the Presidentʼs Office (OP) there are working conflict issues regarding control over the capital.
The heads of ten district administrations of Kyiv do not report to the mayor, but are in the vertical of the president. They are responsible for shelters as balance-keepers and are paid to set them up.
According to Klitschko, a large number of shelters that "they reported" either do not meet the requirements or do not exist.
"Everything flying at Klitschko... And I was reprimanded by the Cabinet of Ministers, although before it was not within its competence — that is, somehow everything was done crookedly," the mayor added.
He also believes that there may be a "certain plan" in the Presidentʼs Office, and does not rule out "that the Office lives in the media field, and this may be an attempt to publicly destroy my reputation."
Klitschko said that he had not met with Zelensky since the beginning of the full-scale war. However, he wants "a lot" to tell him.
"For example, I would like to say that it looks very destructive and incomprehensible to Ukrainians when some politicians inside the country engage in confrontation in the midst of war," said the mayor and added that it looks "unwise" in the eyes of foreign partners.
- On July 1, Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed the leaders of the Podilskyi, Svyatoshynskyi, Desnyanskyi and Dniprovskyi districts of Kyiv due to the improper condition of the shelters.
- On June 10, the Minister of Strategic Industry Oleksandr Kamyshin informed that all shelters in Kyiv had been checked — only 15% of them were suitable for use without significant comments. The Kyiv City State Administration accused the government of manipulation and stated that 65% of the shelters in the capital are suitable for use.
- After the June 1 tragedy in Kyiv (three people died due to a closed shelter), inspections of shelters began in the country. The government appointed the Minister of Strategic Industries Oleksandr Kamyshin to be responsible for the proper condition of shelters throughout Ukraine.