Key facts
- President Zelensky tasked PM Serhii Koretskyi with creating a winter preparation task force for Kyiv.
- Zelensky stated Kyiv is unprepared for winter and Mayor Vitali Klitschko cannot handle it alone.
- Klitschko has reportedly been unwilling to accept help from other institutions.
- Zelensky contrasted Kyiv's preparedness with that of Kharkiv.
- Potential task force members named include Vasyl Maliuk and Oleksandr Kubrakov.
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Oct. 27 that he has directed Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi to establish a task force to assist the Kyiv City Administration in completing its winter resilience plans. Zelensky expressed concern that the city remains unprepared for the upcoming winter, citing Russia's renewed attacks on energy infrastructure.
Zelensky stated that he could not stand by while Mayor Vitali Klitschko attempted to manage the situation independently, deeming it an impossible task. He suggested that Klitschko has been reluctant to accept assistance from other institutions, possibly due to concerns about being replaced. The president contrasted Kyiv's lack of preparation with the effective management seen in Kharkiv, a city also facing significant challenges.
Klitschko has faced public criticism and protests regarding the city's insufficient winter preparations. Zelensky also named individuals he suggested for Koretskyi's team, including former Security Service head Vasyl Maliuk and ex-Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov. Serhii Sukhomlyn, head of the State Agency of Restoration and Development of Infrastructure, declined to participate, citing the political nature of the involvement.