He traded boxing gloves for weapons to defend his city. The mayor of Kyiv, Vitaly Klitschkodeclares himself ready to do anything to defend kyiv from the Russian soldiers who threaten to surround the Ukrainian capital.
Former world heavyweight boxing championhe and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are the embodiment of resistance from an entire country to Russia.
This is the portrait of an extraordinary champion who entered politics by calling and war by necessity.
“We won’t let them bring us to our knees”
Vitali Klitschko looks at the phone he is holding from a distance as he makes his way to the people of kyiv. It is March 15, the Russian army threatens to surround the city and the mayor of the Ukrainian capital calls on all men of fighting age.
“The capital is the heart of Ukraine, it will be defended. kyiv is the outpost and symbol of European security and freedom. We won’t give it up and we will not let them bring us to our knees,” he says.
Since the beginning of the conflict, the mayor of kyiv has multiplied messages on social networks to encourage Ukrainians to resist. And it is present on all fronts, bulletproof vest on the back, automatic weapon at hand: at checkpoints, on barricades, in anti-aircraft shelters…
The fate of this former boxing champion turned mayor of a besieged capital is surprising.
Vitali Klitschko (right) and his brother Wladimir Klitschko check their phones at the kyiv city hall. Photo: AP
“A Chin of Steel”
Before entering politics, Vitali Klitschko was one of the most gifted boxers of his generation, several times world heavyweight champion, like his brother Wladimir, five years his junior.
“Vitali was endowed with extraordinary physical qualities, not as fast as his brother, but with mental strength and a chin of steel”, recalls the journalist Jean-Philippe Lustyk, author of the Grand Livre de la Boxe (Ed. Marabout).
“And one of the main qualities of a boxer is his ability to resist and take the blows. Vitali had devastating power, as he only suffered two losses in his career and has 41 knockouts… It’s one of the highest ratios in boxing history!”.
With his brother Wladimir, he won all the titles and imposed his law in the ring in the 2000s. A pact and a promise united them, made to their mother, never to fight each other.
Vitali Klitschko and Wladimir Klitschko. Photo: AP
“They had enormous discipline, inherited from their father, who was a general in the Soviet Army, one of the ‘liquidators’ of Chernobyl,” recalls Jean-Philippe Lustyk.
“They also had enormous courage and behavior in the ring that corresponded to his behavior in life: without provocations, without misunderstandings… The petulance, the pride inherent in champions, but also a frankness and great intelligence since They both studied science.”
One of the Maidan leaders
In the 2000s, crowned by his success in the ring, Vitali Klitschko first tried to make a name for himself in politics. failed twice in his attempt to win the mayoralty of kyiv, but he has already shown a certain “savoir faire”.
“Of the other great athletes who tried to enter politics in the 2000s, he was the most prepared,” says journalist Volodymyr Yermolenko. “There were other attempts, like Andriy Shevchenko, our football star, but Klitschko, from the beginning, showed a certain political maturity.”
Riots on Maidan in February 2014. Photo: AFP
Vitali Klitschko’s political career would really take off with the Maidanthe pro-European movement that broke out in kyiv in 2014. “He was very involved from the beginning, and he became one of the three leaders of the movement with Arseni Yatsenyuk and Oleh Tyahnybok. Yatsenyuk was more of an intellectual, Tyahnybok was a nationalist leader, but Klitchko was more on the “strong” side of Maidan.”
Mayors on the front line
After Maidan, Vitali Klitschko raised run for presidentbut gave up and ended up supporting Petro Poroshenko, who will be defeated in 2019 by Zelenski.
However, the former boxer managed to win the mayoralty of kyiva position that has become very important in Ukraine due to decentralization reforms, that have given more power to the big cities. In Volodymyr Yermolenko’s opinion, these reforms explain the crucial role played by the mayors of the cities besieged by the Russian army since the beginning of the war.
“This spirit of decentralization is very important in Ukraine and, therefore, not everything goes through Zelensky, there are a plurality of power in Ukraine which is very important now,” says Yermolenko.
“And not only Klitchko, but also the mayor of Kharkov plays an important role, also the mayor of Chernihiv, or the mayor of Mikolayev. This spirit of resistance comes from the people, from the communities, from every citizen and obviously it is represented by the cities, by the local authorities,” says Yermolenko.”
Today, at the age of 51, Vitali Klitschko, like his brother, has joined the reserve troops of the Ukrainian army, ready to fight with weapons in hand to defend their city. A final battle for the former boxer who has become one of the figures of the Ukrainian resistance.