Klitschko invites Council of Europe mission over local government pressure
Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko has appealed to Marc Cools, President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, to send a monitoring mission to Ukraine, given that European partners, according to him, are receiving information about the pressure of the central government on local self-government, the mayor's website said on Tuesday.
"European partners are interested in the state of the reform on decentralization of power, which was implemented in our country earlier. Since they are receiving more and more signals about pressure on local self-government bodies - political, financial, at the level of legislative support for their activities," Klitschko said after meeting with Kools in Strasbourg, where the 49th session of the Congress is taking place, dedicated to the challenges for European communities in the field of democracy, security and sustainability.
In addition, the Kyiv mayor will meet with the Secretary General and representatives of the Council of Europe Development Bank regarding urgent assistance to Ukraine on the eve of a difficult winter in conditions of massive enemy attacks on critical infrastructure.
"I will also meet here with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, and representatives of the Council of Europe Development Bank. I will take part in a discussion on what European partners can urgently help Ukraine and its communities with today. In particular, on the eve of winter, which will be very difficult for us in the conditions of massive enemy attacks on critical infrastructure," Klitschko said.
According to the report, according to the Association of Ukrainian Cities, headed by Klitschko, over the three years of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation, more than 200 heads of territorial communities were removed from their posts due to the formation of military administrations or other martial law measures. In Kyiv, from 2019 to 2025, more than 1,500 criminal proceedings were initiated against employees of the city hall, 1,200 searches were conducted, and more than 300 suspicion notes were served, while only four convictions entered into force. Klitschko believes that this is being done to paralyze the work of the city and discredit the Kyiv authorities.