In Kyiv on 17 October, a rally calling for the resignation of Kyiv City State Administration head Vitali Klitschko gathered outside the building. The event was organised by a number of civic organisations.
Protesters are calling for Klitschko to step down, citing “years of systemic problems in running the city”. This was stated on the “March for Kyiv” page.
In the organisers’ view, the city is not prepared for the challenges of war, particularly when it comes to shelters and backup power supplies.
“Klitschko has had the authority and resources for all 12 years. He must take political responsibility and leave office. There are plenty of ways this could happen. He can resign voluntarily, lose his post by a court ruling or as a result of elections, through the transfer of powers to the military administration, or even through voluntary mobilisation, as he promised on political talk shows,” the rally announcement said.
- The rally was announced against the backdrop of power cuts that began after the first large-scale enemy strikes on the city’s energy system this autumn. Speaking in the Verkhovna Rada, Klitschko said that this year the Russians attacked the capital’s CHP plants 50 times. By comparison, there were 19 such strikes last year.
- The President had previously stressed that the city had failed to implement the Resilience Plan. Klitschko said this was influenced, among other things, by a halt in funding — in September the Cabinet of Ministers stopped all non-critical spending. It was restored this month. He also said he was being accused of derailing the heating season even before it began.