Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko Initiates Major Personnel Shake-Up: Dismissal of Povoroznik and Its Political Implications
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko officially signed an order dismissing Mykola Povoroznyk from his position as the First Deputy Head of Kyiv City State Administration.
This move marked one of the most significant personnel decisions in the local political arena in recent months.
The decree was published on the official KCSA website on Tuesday, October 14, and responded to ongoing internal debates regarding the future of the city’s leadership team.
According to sources from ZN.UA, the decision was motivated by Klitschko’s desire to avoid further complications and attempts to delay the dismissal, but city council deputies insisted on its implementation.
The order states: “To dismiss Mykola Yuriyovych Povoroznyk from his position as First Deputy Head of KCSA as of October 13, 2025…
To conduct calculations and pay compensation for unused annual leave.” It is noteworthy that Povoroznyk, who faced a vote of no confidence from Kyiv deputies in June, has now concluded his tenure.
The most intriguing aspect remains whether key managers and team figures will remain in their positions amid this change, as most are still actively working within the city administration.
This poses risks of maintaining shadow influence mechanisms.
Currently, Klitschko has assigned the duties of acting First Deputy Head to his deputy Petro Panteleiev, though his appointment has yet to be officially approved by the council.
Additionally, the issue of appointing a new secretary of Kyiv City Council remains unresolved, with political tensions mounting.
In June, the Kyiv City Council already expressed distrust towards Povoroznyk and called for his resignation, but Klitschko delayed formal procedures, only forwarding the issue to the Cabinet of Ministers and the President in early October.
The political landscape complicates further as Kyiv City Council Deputy from “Servant of the People” Andriy Vitrienko submitted a draft resolution to prematurely suspend Klitschko’s mayoral powers.
Given the current conditions of wartime, electing a new mayor is practically impossible, and the secretary position remains vacant since April after the resignation of Volodymyr Bondarenko.
Expert Inna Vedernikova notes that the underlying reason behind the deputies’ push for Povoroznyk’s dismissal is less about fighting corruption and more about the power struggle for control over Kyiv’s resources.
The ultimate outcome of this political chess game depends heavily on Klitschko’s decisions and the political negotiations between major factions, namely “European Solidarity” and “Servant of the People.”