A Night of Bombings in Kyiv

“Manipulation”: Klitschko Attacks Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko are once again at odds.(Bild: Krone KREATIV, APA/AFP/Jens Schlueter, APA/UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS)

Kyiv was once again subjected to a barrage of missiles and bombs from Russia overnight into Saturday. The result: severe problems with the Ukrainian capital’s power supply—and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blames not only the Kremlin but also Mayor Vitali Klitschko for this. Klitschko, in turn, counters by accusing Zelenskyy of “manipulation” and “lying.”

Klitschko announced early Saturday morning that the power outage was also affecting district heating and water supplies. According to him, the attack targeted energy facilities in the area surrounding the capital and in the neighboring Zhytomyr region. The attack also damaged the Kyiv North Bridge over the Dnipro River, forcing its temporary closure.

Klitschko filmed a short video on the bridge showing damage to the roadway and the guardrails. According to him, the power lines for trolleybuses have been severed. Klitschko reported five injuries and said repairs had already begun.

Kyiv Mayor Klitschko showed the damaged bridge:

Dozens of Russian missiles strike Kyiv and the surrounding area
Russia fired 36 missiles at Kyiv and the surrounding area, Zelenskyy also reported. “Russia is preparing for the trilateral talks by firing ballistic missiles at critical infrastructure,” he explained. Talks between Ukraine and Russia, mediated by the U.S., are scheduled to take place next week in Abu Dhabi to find a way out of the war. However, the warring parties consider the prospects for a breakthrough to be slim.

Zelenskyy Attacks Klitschko
But it wasn’t just Russia; Zelenskyy also took aim at Klitschko. He claimed that Klitschko’s “failure to implement municipal-level decisions to prepare for the heating season” was responsible for the supply problems, leaving the city inadequately prepared for the attacks. 

Zelenskyy spoke out on X:

Sharp Counterattack from Kyiv’s Mayor
This accusation was followed by a sharp counterattack from Klitschko. He claimed that representatives from Kyiv had not been invited to the crisis meetings, and that Zelenskyy’s government was also delaying approval of an emergency plan for the capital. And Klitschko became even more explicit. For the residents of Kyiv, this is “repugnant.” This belittles the work of the responders, who “are risking their lives under fire around the clock to accomplish the practically impossible.” Zelenskyy apparently lacks knowledge of the “real situation regarding the energy supply”; he is spreading “lies” and “manipulation.”

There has been a dispute between Klitschko and Zelenskyy for years. The president repeatedly accuses Klitschko of failing to prepare Kyiv adequately for Russian attacks; conversely, the mayor has accused Zelenskyy of failing to sufficiently protect Ukraine from the Russian invasion in 2022.

He is therefore not surprised that the president’s popularity among the public is declining, as he is “paying for the mistakes he has made”; “At the end of the war, every politician will pay for their successes and failures,” the former boxing champion emphasized.

Only Minor Damage in Russia
While Russia’s attacks not only caused damage in Kyiv but also sparked further friction between the two politicians, only minor damage was reported in Russia on Saturday morning. According to Russian authorities, Ukrainian drone and missile strikes on several Russian regions caused minor property damage. There were no casualties, the Ministry of Defense in Moscow stated.