politics
January 22, 2026
Kiev mayor fears ‘humanitarian catastrophe’ as Zelensky refuses to meet
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky and Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko have blamed each other for the energy crisis in the capital
TL;DR
- Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko warns of a "humanitarian catastrophe" in the capital.
- 5,600 apartment buildings remain without heating.
- 600,000 residents have left Kiev this month alone.
- Klitschko links power outages to Russian strikes on energy infrastructure.
- President Zelensky criticized Kiev's preparedness for the energy crisis.
- Klitschko claims Zelensky turned down his requests for a meeting.
- Opposition MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak blames both Zelensky and Klitschko.
- A November 2025 corruption scandal involving Zelensky's associate in the energy sector is mentioned.