Zelenskiy and Kyiv Mayor Clash Over Blackouts as Russian Strikes Hit Capital

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko exchanged accusations on Friday over failures to prepare the capital for Russian strikes that have caused unprecedented power and water outages. The city of over 3 million faces frequent emergency blackouts, water outages lasting hours, and attacks on bridges as temperatures near freezing, with residents awaiting centralised heating. Zelenskiy blamed city-level preparation failures, while Klitschko cited a lack of air-defence protection for key facilities. The dispute is part of a long-running feud between the two leaders, who have remained in office beyond their terms due to a wartime election ban. Klitschko said his calls for a meeting with Zelenskiy went unanswered.