Kiev’s 51-year-old former heavyweight boxing champ Vitali Klitscho showed a rare spat with 44-year-old Ukrainian President Volodyymr Zelensky. Zelensky bristled when Klitschko told the press that Kiev faced a winter apocalypse with Russia continuing to attack vital infrastructure, including electricity, heating and water. Zelensky doesn’t like when Ukraine projects it’s struggling with the nine-month-old war with the Russian Federation, showing no interest in ceasefire or peace talks. Zelensky looks perfectly content to collect as much cash from the U.S. to run the Kiev government and fight the war with the Kremlin. Every time anyone makes a suggestion for peace, Zelensky and his key staff reject the idea out-of-hand, showing no interest in moving the conflict to the peace table. Zelensky doesn’t like hearing French President Emmanuel Macron’s peace proposals.
Kiev tries to cover-up any appearance of conflict with Ukrainian officials like Klitschko who raised contingency plans in the event that Kiev’s residents became unlivable due to a lack of electricity, heat and water. Zelensky said Kiev was unprepared under Klitscho to deal with complications for Kiev residents coping with winter cold and shortages. Klitschko said the 500 heating hubs in Kiev was not enough for 3 million residents hunkering down during a cold winter wracked by energy interruptions from the war. Admitting that 152 civilians and 678 buildings had been destroyed in Kiev, Klitschko painted a different picture than Zelensky and his PR team presenting Ukraine’s situation as prevailing in the war. “Kiev might lose power, water and heat supply. The apocalypse might happen like in Hollywood films, when it’s not possible to live in homes considering the low temperatures,” Klistschko said.
Klitschko’s remarks met a harsh response from Zelensky who laid the blame on Kiev’s problems on Klitschko, not the ongoing war. “But we are fighting and doing everything we can to make sure that this does not happen,” trying to placate Zelensky. Zelensky’s defiant attempt to press ahead with the war on multiple fronts doesn’t match with the reality of hardship for ordinary citizens. Klitschko, as Kiev mayor, deals with real life problems facing the beleaguered population, supplying enough energy, food and heat to keep the people going. Zelensky lives in a war bunker with his essential staff and family, having all the amenities needed to survive the harshest of winter conditions. Klitschko understands that the longer the war goes, the more disruptions in Kiev’s vital services to residents. Zelensky and his essential staff have all their needs covered living in his bunker.
Zelensky said publicly that Kiev did not have enough heating shelters to manage the energy shortages during the cold winter. Klitschko pushed back at the criticism saying the mayor’s office was doing everything possible to deal with the energy, food and water shortages. Klitschko called Zelensky’s message “strange,” knowing that it didn’t match the rosy picture painted by Zelensky’s inner circle that life in Ukraine was not disrupted by the war. When it comes to the hardship imposed by the war, Macron wants it all to change by moving the conflict to the peace table. Zelensky wants no part of any of Macron’s compromises, seeking only to vanquish the Russian military. Zelensky has no idea what 70-year-old Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to retaliate against recent Ukrainian drone strikes in Russian territory. Klitschko and other Ukrainian city officials see only more misery ahead.
Zelensky’s idea of war with Kremlin is to beat the Russian Army to the point it leaves every inch of Ukrainian territory. Macron and other peacemakers see the end of the war with compromises, on both sides, where Russia gives up much of the territory it captured during nine months of war. “It looks strange when we are united against a single enemy, but we start to fight with the country,” Klischko admitted, dealing with Zelensky’s criticism of how Kiev copes with the hardships. Klitschko sees Zelensky’s comments as “political,” wanting to present the rosiest picture of life under Russian occupation. Kiev reports daily Russian war crimes, destroying civilian dwellings and infrastructure has been widely reported by the Kiev government. Why Zelensky criticizes Klistchko for telling Kiev residents to prepare for the worst-case scenarios is anyone’s guess?
Zelensky’s spat of Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko shows the disconnect between life under the bunker and for the rest of Kiev’s residents. Zelensky has all his electricity, heat, water and food covered for his inner circle, regardless of the hardship faced by Klitschko and ordinary residents. “If electricity supply continues to be absent while outside temperatures remain low, we will unfortunately be forced to drain water from buildings,” Klitschko told the press. “Right now there is heating in Kiev, there is electricity . . . everything works, there is no need to presents [for evacuation].” Klitschko said, more in line with Zelensky’s expectations. When it comes to prosecuting the war, Zelensky has no intent of backing down, regardless of hardship for Ukrainian citizens. Klitschko knows that life is different outside the Zelensky bunker where all vital services are covered for the inner circle.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
