Unusual warning from Kyiv mayor: We are switching to survival mode

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko warned that the city is switching to "survival mode" amid intensified Russian attacks on energy infrastructure and bridges. He urged residents who have relatives outside the capital to temporarily leave, but emphasized that he is not calling for a full evacuation, as that is what Putin wants. Since 2022, 534 people have died in Kyiv, and since the beginning of 2026, 189.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko issued an unusual warning: amid intensified Russian attacks on energy infrastructure, bridges, and other key facilities, the city is switching to "survival mode." In an interview with AFP published on October 8, Klitschko urged residents who have relatives outside the capital to temporarily leave. He emphasized that he is not calling for a full evacuation, as that is exactly what Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is seeking, according to him. Klitschko noted that strikes on bridges across the Dnipro are complicating transportation, and the resumption of attacks on power grids raises fears that the upcoming winter will be as harsh as the previous one, when residents were left without electricity and heating for several days in temperatures as low as -20°C. According to data from the Kyiv City State Administration's health department, Russian attacks have claimed at least 534 lives in the capital since 2022, and 189 people have died since the beginning of 2026. Klitschko also placed some responsibility on Zelenskyy's government, with which he has a long-standing conflict, stating that "finding scapegoats will not warm people." President Zelenskyy, in turn, said that Putin ordered the lifting of restrictions on air attacks, and the new Russian doctrine permits strikes on a wider range of civilian targets.