Zelenskiy and Kyiv mayor clash over Russian strike blackouts

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko exchanged accusations on Friday over failure to prepare the capital for Russian strikes, which have caused unprecedented power and water outages in the city of over 3 million. Zelenskiy blamed the mayor's administration for not implementing decisions on heating season preparations, while Klitschko responded that the government had "cynically" delayed approving a resilience plan and lacked air-defence systems to protect key facilities. The attacks have hit bridges, halted metro services, and left residents without centralised heating near freezing temperatures. The dispute is part of a long-running feud between the two leaders, who have remained in office beyond their terms as wartime elections are prohibited. Klitschko said his calls for a meeting with Zelenskiy went unanswered, while Zelenskiy suggested the mayor resists cooperation with presidential appointees.