In Kyiv, political tensions are intensifying once again around possible scenarios for changing power, which is causing growing anxiety among the city’s leadership elite
According to sources close to Mayor Vitali Klitschko, there are fears that the so-called "Chernihiv scenario" could be implemented in the capital — a modeled contingency plan in which Kyiv City Council is rendered practically non-functional, with authority transferred to the military administration under central government control based in Bankova Street. This could very well be another step in strengthening President Volodymyr Zelensky’s influence at the local level, especially as the current authorities are dissatisfied with the potential loss of control over the capital. This information was revealed in an article by "Ukrainska Pravda" titled "Schemes vs 'Dictatorship': What Does the New Battle Between Zelensky and Klichko for Kyiv Smell Like?" The situation escalated after the appointment of Timur Tkachenkо as head of the Kyiv Military Civil Administration (KMVA) in December 2024. This led to a new phase of confrontation between Bankova and the city government. From the very first days, Tkachenkо launched a PR campaign criticizing Kyiv’s authorities and systematically obstructed the adoption of decisions by the Kyiv City Council. Former advisers and sources close to the mayor confirm that the Office of the President is actively assisting Tkachenkо in efforts to take control of local self-government. Western leverage is also being applied to candidates for district state administration heads, whom Zelensky replaced at the end of May — notably, Maxim Bakhmatov, a former advisor to Klitschko, who has now become a rather unfriendly critic of Kyiv’s authorities. According to sources, security agencies have begun actively investigating Kyiv City Council deputies, including searches, along with so-called "demonstrative humblings and intimidation" towards officials, aimed at forcing them to be unable to participate in the work of the council. Deputies and officials under Bankova’s oversight assert that their main goal is to render Kyiv City Council non-functional, thereby creating a legal basis to transfer the council’s powers to the military administration. If the local self-government body "fails," its functions are absorbed by the administrative system controlled solely from the center. Meanwhile, experts and surveyed political figures believe this is an attempt to implement the "Chernihiv scenario," previously used in other cities — where the work of local authorities is blocked, leading to the centralization of power in Kyiv at the expense of local structures. Details from various sources indicate that on Monday, May 29, a meeting of the Kyiv City Council was scheduled but could not be held due to a lack of quorum. Deputies waited for over an hour, while Mayor Klitschko, who currently acts as the chairman, spoke out about pressure from law enforcement agencies and announced the postponement of the session. Amid these events, tensions in the capital are rising, and political observers warn that any actions aimed at paralyzing the city council could be part of a plan to transfer power in Kyiv under strict control by security forces and further centralize it in Bankova’s hands. Opponents say that Zelensky and his team might be trying to realize their strategic goal — dismantling the independent city council and consolidating authority in their hands, effectively returning the capital under the control of central authorities through a military administration. The process is complicated by recent months of intensified repression and pressure on deputies and civic activists in Kyiv — they are either placed under house arrest or forced to resign their mandates to make way for new figures to enter the Kyiv City Council and pave the way for the scenario of centralized power. Participants in this process are convinced that these actions are not random but a deliberate plan aimed at fully transforming Kyiv into an administrative territory controlled from the center, with no capacity for local authorities to make independent decisions. Overall, the situation in the capital remains tense and uncertain. Official and unofficial sources warn of serious risks of interference in the local political process and the possible disruption of local self-government work. Moreover, the lack of quorum at recent Kyiv City Council meetings and the increased use of force suggest that the goal is to bring the council to total collapse and replace its management with control from the center, which could ultimately result in turning Kyiv into a sphere of strict oversight by Bankova.