Vitali Klitschko in the Verkhovna Rada: the Mayor of Kyiv accused the central government of blocking budgets and raised the issue of air defence

During an impassioned speech from the podium of the Verkhovna Rada, the Mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, addressed representatives of the central government regarding the effective use of funds allocated for the protection of critical infrastructure and the provision of air defence.

According to the mayor, whilst the capital’s power and heating generation facilities suffered 19 attacks last year, the number of attacks has risen to almost 50 this year. Despite ongoing repair work, staff shortages at utility companies and delays in payments, the capital continues to hold its ground; however, the question of the integrity of the defence system remains unresolved.

Back-up power supplies and the self-sufficiency of healthcare facilities

Refuting allegations that Kyiv was inadequately prepared for the heating season, Vitali Klitschko cited specific figures relating to the development of the city’s autonomous power grid:

• Support for water and heating supply facilities: nearly 700 generators of various capacities, 70 mobile boiler houses, 3 diesel power stations and a backup water intake have been prepared. ‘Kyivvodokanal’ currently has 103 generators and is awaiting additional high-capacity systems from abroad.
• Support for housing and education: residents of blocks of flats have purchased over 6,000 generators, inverters and battery systems. All of the city’s educational establishments are equipped with backup power supplies.
• Autonomy in the healthcare sector: 480 generators have been installed in hospitals, and 15 facilities have their own boreholes (with a further six under construction). Eleven healthcare facilities already have independent heating supplied by their own boiler rooms, and this number will rise to 21 by the end of the year.

Budget freezes and pressure on local communities

As chairman of the Association of Ukrainian Cities, Klitschko emphasised that communities across the country are currently facing similar challenges. The main problem for local authorities in the run-up to winter has been the government’s freeze on payments to local budgets.

In addition to financial obstacles, the mayor of the capital stated that political pressure on community leaders was intensifying due to unfounded accusations and criminal proceedings. According to him, attempts to undermine local self-government from within the country during the war pose no less of a threat than an external enemy.

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