Zelensky asks PM Koretskyi to form special Kyiv management team
President Volodymyr Zelensky asked Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi to form a special cabinet or management team for Kyiv to help prepare the capital for winter and devise solutions for the city. Zelensky said several prospective participants declined, while he criticized Kyiv’s incomplete resilience plans and insufficient protection of critical infrastructure.
Key points
- Zelensky asked Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi to form a special cabinet or management team for Kyiv.
- The proposed team would prepare Kyiv for winter and develop decisions for the capital.
- Volodymyr Groysman, Oleksandr Kubrakov and Serhii Sukhomlyn declined to head the Kyiv City Military Administration.
- Zelensky said former SBU chief Vasyl Maliuk was considered for the team’s security portfolio.
- Zelensky said Kyiv’s resilience plans had not been fully implemented and critical infrastructure remained insufficiently protected.
- Several managers and business representatives declined to join the special team, Zelensky said.
- Zelensky said he did not view the initiative as a political confrontation with Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko.
Why it matters
The initiative is intended to strengthen Kyiv’s management and prepare the capital for a difficult winter amid attacks on its energy infrastructure. It also highlights unresolved questions over leadership of the Kyiv City Military Administration and intensifies scrutiny of cooperation between the municipal and central governments.
What happened
Zelensky asked Serhii Koretskyi to form a special cabinet or management team comprising experienced managers, business representatives and specialists from other areas of public administration. Its stated purpose is to prepare Kyiv for winter and develop solutions for the capital. Zelensky said he was prepared to meet the candidates proposed by the prime minister and ask them to join. Vasyl Maliuk was discussed for security-related work, while Volodymyr Groysman, Oleksandr Kubrakov and Serhii Sukhomlyn declined to head the Kyiv City Military Administration. Zelensky said several other prospective participants also refused to join, partly because they expected no recognition and feared subsequent political criticism.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian reporting focuses on Zelensky’s proposal, the prospective participants’ refusals and unresolved questions over Kyiv’s leadership and administration. It also emphasizes criticism that the capital is insufficiently prepared for winter, has not fully implemented its resilience plans and remains vulnerable in critical infrastructure. The dispute with Klitschko is presented as a clash between the president’s criticism of municipal management and the mayor’s claims that central-government funding restrictions disrupted preparations.
Where reporting differs
Zelensky said Kyiv’s resilience plans had not been fully implemented and critical infrastructure remained insufficiently protected. Klitschko rejected accusations that the city had failed to prepare for winter, saying city services had prepared despite shelling. The president attributed the initiative to security, infrastructure and winter readiness, while Klitschko said restrictions on central-government funding had halted important payments and disrupted preparations.
Background
Zelensky began consultations on urgent security and management steps for Kyiv and began seeking additional managers to support the capital’s winter preparations. Autumn attacks damaged Kyiv’s energy system, causing significant outages and temporary metro suspensions. The initiative followed his criticism that Kyiv was falling behind other regions in implementing resilience plans. On 13 October, the Verkhovna Rada summoned Klitschko to report on the situation in the capital.