Kyiv, Ukraine (AP) — The ready-to-wear body armor propped against a radiator, the spent bullet casing contributing to clutter on his desk, the boxing memorabilia and the sign telling visitors to leave firearms outside his door: everyone screams that this is the office of extraordinary mayor in extraordinarily difficult times.
Other, more personal touches complete the picture: the book on a sideboard about British wartime leader Winston Churchill is signed ‘With best wishes’ by the author, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
And then there’s the plastic toy figure of a muscular boxer with clenched fist raised – a reminder of how physically imposing, even frightening, Vitali Klitschko was in his days as world champion and opponent in heavyweight boxing.
Not that much has changed. His handshake is crushingly firm, his gaze steely. But the pressure on the shoulders and on the time of the 51-year-old mayor of the Ukrainian capital is greater than ever today as his fortune was measured in three-minute rounds that ended with a bell ringing.
“If I tried to explain to you all the challenges I have, it would take us weeks,” Klitschko said.
As during his years as a professional prizefighter, the struggle for survival he now wages is primal. But it’s also more important: to keep his city of 3 million from going completely out of power, to ensure families don’t freeze in the cold of the onset of winter, and to keep Ukraine’s hyper-digital capital connected to the outside world.
All of this in a horrific war against an invader, Russia, which seems intent on destroying all these things – with repeated barrages of missiles and exploding drones that have hit Ukraine’s power grid and other vital infrastructure.
“It’s terror,” Klitschko said, delivering the word like a fist punch in an interview with the Associated Press in his City Hall office on the 268th day of the invasion.
“They left us freezing,” he said. “Without electricity, without heating, without water.”
The power still comes on – sometimes – but you can’t count on it anymore. In a city with ubiquitous WiFi and where almost everything can be done online, hours of power outages are the horrible new norm for many. Russian strikes have damaged about half of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
In darkened Kiev restaurants, you feel your way through the meals, which are served by waiters with candles, in almost the dark. Residents wake up in the middle of the night – when it’s their turn to get a few hours of electricity back – to shower and do laundry.
“Huge challenge,” said Klitschko.
So what is the worst case scenario? How much worse can it get?
“I don’t like to talk about that,” he said. “But I have to be prepared.”
Part of the answer comes from Klitschko’s very large hands. How difficult life will be depends in part on how many missiles Russian President Vladimir Putin has left in his arsenal to launch at Kyiv and other cities.
But on the bright side, based on recent attacks, fewer missiles and drones appear to be getting through the capital’s air defenses because they’ve been reinforced with Western-supplied projectile launching systems. In a surprise visit to Kyiv on Saturday, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak came with further help, promising 125 anti-aircraft guns and other defenses against exploding Iran-supplied drones deployed by Russia.
“It’s a lot better than before. Definitely,” said Klitschko. “But it’s not enough. … We need more to protect other cities.”
Klitschko’s guess is that Putin’s strategy is to heap so much misery on Ukrainians that they give up the fight.
That won’t work, the mayor predicted.
“After every rocket attack, I talk to the people, to ordinary civilians. They (are) not depressed,” he said. “They were furious, angry and willing to stay and defend our homes, our families and our future.”
A Ukrainian flag mounted on the wall behind his desk reinforced his argument: “Together to victory” and “We will win,” soldiers wrote on it.
Klitschko clarified his point, citing a message he received from a Kiev soldier telling him that there was “no heating, no water, no electricity, no services” on his front lines.
“‘We fight for each of you. If you complain, keep our condition in mind,” Klitschko said, recalling the soldier’s request.
“That’s a great answer,” the mayor said.
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Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine