Klitschko accused of blocking vital bomb shelter strategy in Kyiv

Kyiv continues to face a dangerous shortage of bomb shelters, with some districts left nearly unprotected. Officials accuse Mayor Vitali Klitschko’s administration of blocking funds and failing to provide a clear strategy.

Kyiv Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko raised the alarm in an interview with Mind UA.

Klitschko’s City Hall blamed for leaving residents without protection

Tkachenko noted that in Desnianskyi district, shelters can accommodate only about 40% of residents. In some cases, people would need to travel up to 1.5 kilometers to reach safety — a distance he called unacceptable during missile and drone strikes.

He added that decisions on financing shelters are made "behind closed doors," without transparency or long-term planning.

"Someone simply decides to spend half a billion, a billion, or two. What’s missing is a coherent strategy from the department that reports directly to Vitali Klitschko," Tkachenko said.

The official stressed that Kyiv needs either new shelters or to repurpose existing spaces. However, this requires funding from the City Council and allocation by Klitschko’s City Hall. So far, the responsible department has failed to deliver a comprehensive plan and repeatedly claims it is "impossible" to procure modular shelters.

As a result, large parts of the capital remain critically vulnerable — a failure that critics say lies squarely at the feet of Klitschko’s administration.

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