Sienkevych no longer talks to Kim: they have nothing in common

Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych now has virtually no contact with Veterans Affairs Minister Vitalii Kim, who previously headed the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration. In an interview, the mayor explained that his former counterpart’s new position involves different areas of work.

“We don’t talk anymore. We don’t really have anything to talk about now,” said Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych.

According to him, Vitalii Kim’s current duties are less connected to local government and preparing critical infrastructure for winter.

At the same time, Oleksandr Sienkevych describes the previous cooperation between the city and regional authorities as free of conflicts over responsibilities and the allocation of budget funds. He compared this experience with the situation in other regions, where, he says, regional administration heads often consider mayors of regional centers to be their subordinates: assigning them tasks, making demands, and trying to influence city budgets. The mayor stressed that this was never the case in his dealings with Vitalii Kim.

“Vitalii Kim never interfered with our budget or planning. We never interfered in regional affairs or asked for anything extra,” emphasized Oleksandr Sienkevych.

The mayor considers this approach one of the foundations of effective cooperation between Mykolaiv and Denmark. In his view, by refraining from interfering in each other’s work, the parties were able to build a partnership.

In addition, Oleksandr Sienkevych recalled Vitalii Kim’s experience as a member of the Mykolaiv City Council. Kim attended and spoke at council sessions, so he understood the city’s problems well and was familiar with local issues.

We also wrote earlier:

• “Good evening, we’re from the ministry”: Vitalii Kim is being taken from Mykolaiv region to the Cabinet of Ministers
• Kim, Sienkevych and community mayors went to Poland to seek billions for reconstruction
• Sienkevych on Kim, without sugarcoating: “We’re not kissing each other on the lips, but we’re working without a power struggle”
• Sienkevych refutes Kim’s claims that drinking water will soon be available in Mykolaiv
• “Supporting businesses is a priority”: A Danish delegation visited Mykolaiv again