Protests in Kyiv: Klychko is not welcomed there

Protests in Kyiv: Klychko is not welcomed there

Residents of Kyiv, who took to the streets for the second time in protest at the Ivan Franko Theater against the decision of the Verkhovna Rada to dissolve NABU and SAPO, expressed their disagreement with Vitaliy Klychko’s participation in their rallies: this evokes a sense of déjà vu, as in 2013, during the "early" protest Maidan in Kyiv, there was also a demand for the absence of conservative opposition politicians.

This was reported by Informator.

Kyivites, who organized a protest for the second time at the Ivan Franko Theater against the Verkhovna Rada’s decision to dissolve NABU and SAPO, expressed their disagreement with Vitali Klitschko’s participation in their rallies. To emphasize this, they created appropriate posters, and a lively discussion about the political prospects of the Kyiv mayor continues on social media. In general, the situation evokes a strong sense of déjà vu from 2013. At that time, during the "early" protest Maidan in Kyiv, there was also a demand for the absence of conservative opposition politicians - they were even asked to move their rallies to the European Square.

Posters with inscriptions like "Klitschko, don’t come again!" and "Vitalik, if you’re here again - go to..." were brought by Kyivites on the second day of the protests taking place in Kyiv. Previously, Informator analyzed the possible prospects for the Kyiv mayor if he decides to use the protests as a kind of "springboard". It was noted that some protest elements in 2025 resemble what happened in the fall-winter of 2013.

Social media remind about the January 2014 incident when unidentified individuals sprayed Klychko in the face with a fire extinguisher when he attempted to break up a fight between protesters and law enforcement

Indeed, the demand to remove conservative politicians from the people’s protest was present at the beginning of the Revolution of Dignity (when it was still EuroMaidan). This is well remembered by Kyivites who participated in the tumultuous events of 2013-2014, as they are now recalling on social media.

"Our mayor is unfortunate. He was told to f*** off and extinguished with a fire extinguisher at Maidan in 2013, and now nothing has changed. Vitalik tries to mimic that he cares, but everyone knows that Klychko never loved Kyiv and never will. His mayorship was a situational decision. It’s just dragged on," noted Kyivite Mykola Marusyk in a post.

Overall, in the "protest" social media spaces, Klychko is accused of trying to use the protest for his own political purposes. There’s also the phrase that the position "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" is a failure for the Kyiv mayor - a hint that a situational alliance between civil society and the opposition politician will not work this time. However, in 2013, slogans for a "Maidan without politicians" did not last long (then an alternative Maidan led by "conservative" politicians was even moved to European Square).

There are also voices in support of Klitschko, so part of the "protest" community is still willing to consider coexistence within specific actions. For instance, Kyivite Olena Herasymenko noted that the Kyiv mayor is not related to the liquidation of the anti-corruption vertical (though tactfully omitting that both Klitschko and his close circle were "on the hook" with NABU detectives).

"What didn’t they like about Klychko? Did he vote for the actual destruction of anti-corruption institutions? If it weren’t for Klitschko, Kyiv would now be under Russian and green occupation," ponders Ms. Herasymenko in a Facebook post.

It should be noted that for Klychko himself, the visit to the rally at the Ivan Franko Theater was rather an attempt to "stake a claim" for potential further participation in the actions. Whether to continue participating in protests will be decided by political consultants, weighing the pros and cons. After protesters themselves opposed Klychko’s involvement as a "conservative" politician and situational ally, the advantage shifted to the negative side.

Déjà vu intensifies

Meanwhile, the protests against the dissolution of anti-corruption bodies in Kyiv are increasingly showing external signs similar to the "early" EuroMaidan of autumn 2013. A number of businesses in the capital, located near the Ivan Franko Theater, supported the protesters. The Guzema jewelry showroom on Olhynska Street set up packs of water for the protesters - with the note: "Water for everyone who is here today."

The protests that began in July 2025 have become more similar to the EuroMaidan of autumn 2013. Photo: AIN, Lola Laizan

Another local business, "Ministerstvo Pizzy" on Zankovetska Street, offered free coffee to protesters. Similar gestures of support were also present in other cities, for example, in Lutsk, Misto.cafe brought coffee to activists. Note that at the moment, there’s only an external resemblance between the protests of 2025 and those that began in autumn 2013: back then, entrepreneurs, who complained about the "tightening of screws" by Mykola Azarov’s government, gladly supported pro-European youth protests in Kyiv.