Boxer turned Mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko lands major blow as he blasts ‘authoritarian' Zelensky
KYIV's mayor and former world champion boxer Vitali Klitschko stepped into the ring with Volodymyr Zelensky - accusing him of "authoritarianism".
The former heavyweight blasted the Ukrainian wartime leader for paralysing his city with "raids, interrogations and threats of fabricated criminal cases".
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Mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko has slammed Zelensky
Credit: Getty
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The Ukrainian President was accused of authoritarianism
Credit: Getty
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Ukrainian boxer Vitali Klitschko (L) with his arm around his brother, Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko (R)
Credit: Getty
Klitschko said the president's decision to use martial
law
to appoint a rival military administration in Kyiv stopped his city from making progress.
The 53-year-old mayor's claims come after ex-comedian
The Don tripled down on his criticism of Zelensky in a
And just days after that, a
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Klitschko's allegations towards Zelensky of authoritarianism come as his Kyiv administration faces a string of arrests.
Some of Klitschko's deputies have been purged by the national anti-corruption bureau under an operation called Clean City.
The probe has exposed widespread corruption under the mayor's watch - and seven of his subordinates have so far been arrested, with another three under investigation.
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The former athlete has now lashed out at Zelensky, saying that the work of his city council has been plagued by fake criminal cases and threats.
He says that these hampered the ability of Kyiv authorities to make key decisions.
Kyiv's mayor told The Times: 'This is a purge of democratic principles and institutions under the guise of war.
Sky documentary reveals feud between Ukraine's president and Kyiv's mayor over child's death
'I said once that it smells of authoritarianism in our country. Now it stinks.'
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He also accused
President
of using military administrations across the country to take power from elected mayors.
This is not the first time ex-sportsman Klitschko - who is also said to have presidential ambitions - has called out his rival Zelensky.
The Kyiv mayor called out the Ukrainian President in February amid stalling peace negotiations.
Zelensky then hit back at the boxing champ, saying: "Klitschko is a great athlete, but I didn't know he was a great speaker."
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It comes after Trump clashed with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in front of the world's press
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Vitali Klitschko said his celebrity status protected his criticism
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Vice President JD Vance was also involved in an unseemly war of words with Zelensky
Klitschko said that his recent criticism of Zelensky has been protected by his celebrity status.
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'Many of the mayors are intimidated, but my celebrity status is a protection," he explained.
"You can fire the mayor of Chernihiv, but it is very difficult to fire the mayor of the capital who the whole world knows."
He added: 'That is why everything is being done to discredit and ruin my reputation.'
Political scientist Volodymyr Fesenko said that the conflict betwene the two rivals goes deeper.
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The expert said it reflected concern about abuse of city funds in wartime, calling it a "response to manifestations of corruption in the Kyiv city administration".
He told The Times: 'During the war
money
should go primarily to defence, to protect the country, yet there is all this construction."
Questioning the corruption in Kyiv, he added: "In some other cities, even stadiums are being built.
"In the Donbas there are large landscaping projects. The
frontline
is near by, and the money is not going to defensive structures, but to greenery."
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Kyiv locals have been baffled as
luxury
flats keep popping up instead of shelters or
schools
— often built on public land using a dodgy 'toilet loophole'.
This starts with setting up a par-per-use toilet for example, to then receive something similar to squatters' rights.
Many of the ten Kyiv officials under investigation have been charged with corruption relating to the approval of these land permits.
Klitschko's ex-deputy has been charged with taking bribes to help war conscripts escape, while a former city councillor accused of embezzlement has fled to Austria.
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He responded to claims of corruption under his watch, saying that he had sacked eight of the officials being investigated.
"I have 4,500 employees in this building alone and about 300,000 employees working for the city," he said.
"Corruption cases sometimes happen, but we react harshly and quickly."
He added: "We co-operate with law enforcement, provide all the necessary information and hope for an impartial investigation of all cases."
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Klitshcko's main rival in Kyiv, Tymur Tkachenko, has slated the mayor for showing 'weakness' during wartime.
Tkachenko told The Times: 'Mr Klitschko could not close the brothel in the basement of the same building where he lives."
He was referring to Tootsies, a notorious strip club raided and shut down by the security service last month as part of an investigation into
sex
trafficking.
Klitschko hit back at claims he was tied to the strip club which is near a hotel complex he owns, calling it a 'lie' meant to smear him.
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Former world champion heavyweight boxer Vitali Klitschko (L) and Wladimir Klitschko
Credit: Getty
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It comes as the war in Ukraine rages on
Credit: AFP
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