Zelenskyy and Klitschko trade blame over Kyiv's defense failures

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko traded blame on Friday for failures in defending the capital against Russian attacks causing power and water outages. Zelenskyy accused city authorities of failing to prepare for the heating season, while Klitschko said the government cynically delayed approving a resilience plan and lacks air defense systems. Their relations have long been tense. Kyiv, with three million residents, faces regular Russian strikes on energy infrastructure ahead of winter, forcing reliance on generators and causing hours-long water disruptions. Zelenskyy previously criticized the mayor over bomb shelter conditions.