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Kiev Mayor Klitschko says Ukrainian government ‘stinks of authoritarianism’

According to Vitaly Klitschko, many Ukrainian mayors are intimidated by "raids, interrogations and threats of fabricated criminal cases"

MOSCOW, May 31. /TASS/. The Ukrainian government is authoritarian to the point that democracy has essentially been destroyed, Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko said.

"This is a purge of democratic principles and institutions under the guise of war," he said in an interview with The Times newspaper. "I said once that it smells of authoritarianism in our country. Now it stinks," the mayor noted.

According to Klitschko, many Ukrainian mayors are intimidated by "raids, interrogations and threats of fabricated criminal cases." He pointed out that only his celebrity status saves him from a similar fate.

Conflicts between Klitschko and Vladimir Zelensky, who represent different political parties, have flared up repeatedly in recent years. Klitschko, in particular, accused the Ukrainian leadership of excessive centralization of power. The mayor of the capital also said that the Ukrainian authorities were trying to put pressure on the city administration by conducting mass searches and initiating criminal cases on trumped-up charges.

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