Advice for Kyiv residents to evacuate is outright infuriating — a prominent economist couldn't hold back his emotions about Klitschko and Zelensky

Labor market expert, economist, blogger, and a sergeant on duty, Serhiy Marchenko, sharply criticized government officials who, instead of taking real actions, advise Kyiv residents to leave the city due to the threat of municipal collapse. He noted that such advice for Kyiv residents to temporarily leave the city echo amid the first serious problems with electricity and water supply in the capital. He stated that during four years of full-scale war, officials have not protected the energy sector and critical infrastructure from strikes. In the economist’s view, instead of real work, the president and the Kyiv mayor have sunk into a quarrel over control of the city’s money flows.

Marchenko expressed his position in a Facebook post, emotionally criticizing officials at all levels for inaction on the eve of the heating season. He pointed out that over the past few months the president, the prime minister, the mayor, and other officials have been assuring Kyiv residents to prepare for a hard winter, promising to retaliate against the enemy and improve air defense, but no systemic steps to protect critical infrastructure have been taken.

"At the state level, there are no mechanisms for protecting critical infrastructure. At the community level, nothing has been done to diversify energy sources and to use resources rationally," wrote Serhiy Marchenko.

The economist also drew attention to the fact that instead of working together to solve the problem, the authorities are engaged in mutual accusations: the presidential team accuses the mayor, and the mayor accuses the president. In his view, the advice to leave Kyiv is particularly annoying to Kyiv residents because for the officials themselves, including Zelensky, Klychko, and law enforcement, leaving the city is not a problem—in contrast to ordinary citizens.

"For them, the only problem with relocation is nostalgia. Because other everyday problems are easily covered with money. But Kyiv residents to whom they tell about a hard winter, retaliation, and the need to leave Kyiv have no suitcase full of money," Marchenko noted.

According to the economist, most Kyiv residents cannot afford to leave the city due to mortgages, children, pets, and meager salaries that cover only food. He emphasized that people do not have the financial means to rent housing in other cities while paying utilities for an empty apartment in Kyiv, and cannot transfer children to new schools or simply quit their jobs in the middle of the school year.

Kyiv residents demand action instead of promises

Marchenko added that Kyiv residents need not talks about a hard winter and promises of retaliation, but real results right now and an easier winter. He noted that to achieve this it was necessary to begin construction of energy facilities back in spring, rather than feeding people with promises.

"You were elected to do things, not to look for what else can be ruined in Kyiv and to fight over who will do it. Do something for people already!" wrote Serhiy Marchenko.

The economist added that the situation he describes concerns not only Kyiv but all Ukrainian cities that turned out to be totally unprepared for attacks on critical infrastructure.

Earlier, Informator reported that President Volodymyr Zelensky sharply criticized the nearly complete failure to fulfill the Stability Plan in Kyiv, stating personal responsibility of officials for hampering work. He said that a separate point of the meeting became the task for the capital because the city government did not take the necessary steps to prepare for winter.

We also wrote that amid the emergency in the energy sector, emergency response points were urgently deployed for residents in three districts on the right bank. The decision was made because these parts of the city faced the most difficult energy situation after a strike on one of the key energy facilities.