Exclusive: Klitschko calls for more modern weapons as Ukraine prepares for winter war
Vitali Klitschko, a former heavyweight boxing champion and the current mayor of Kyiv, has told Forces News how modern weapons have helped defend his city against Russian air attacks - and how Ukraine needs more.
Known as 'Dr Iron Fist', Mr Klitschko won multiple world championships in the ring before retiring in 2013, and for the past nine years has been the Mayor of Kyiv, a city in the crosshairs of Russia's war.
Forces News' Simon Newton has been to Ukraine to meet him and learn more about life in a city under fire.
"Right now we prepare for the next winter and we expect the next attack in the winter time to our critical infrastructure, and that's why we prepare," said Mr Klitschko.
He added: "Thank you to our partners. We are protected better than last year because we received modern anti-missile systems from our partners ... and in the last attack on our home town we shot down every drone."
In the opening hours of Russian President Vladimir Putin's 'Special Operation', his forces tried to encircle Kyiv and got to within 13 miles of the capital.
But Ukrainian forces eventually fought them off, destroying vast amounts of Russian armour in the process, some of which now sits in a vehicle graveyard in the city centre.
However, Mr Klitschko warned that while Kyiv gave the impression of being peaceful, intense fighting was going on elsewhere.
"If you go outside of this building, here on the streets you have the illusion of peace, the people who are on the streets have opened cafes, restaurants, bars and lives going on," he said.
"But never forget 100km east or south is a real hell."
Across Kyiv, there are reminders of the war, such as a graveyard of destroyed Russian armour and memorials to the estimated 70,000 Ukrainians who have died.
Among them too have been foreign volunteers at the city's famous gold-domed monastery.
There was recently a funeral of a British man who was killed somewhere on the frontline.
'We need modern weapons'
Mr Klitschko said: "Ukraine has surprised the whole world with our will to win, with our spirit.
"Will to win is very important, the spirit is also important, but we need modern weapons, that's why I want to say thank you very much, and we need more.
"Some people say 'How much more?', 'When will be enough?'...a clear answer for this question, when peace comes back to Ukraine it will be enough."
As a city, Kyiv donates funding and equipment to the Ukrainian military and the mayor showed Forces News a bullet-scarred helmet that had been given to him by a grateful Ukrainian soldier.
"Just a couple of weeks ago one soldier came to us and said 'thank you, thank you for your commitment, what you buy for us helped saved my life'."
Mr Klitschko then showed the inside of the helmet, with a manufacturer's label bearing the UK flag.
"Are you surprised or not, the British flag? It's a British helmet," he said.
The mayor of Kyiv said he was incredibly grateful for the support the UK has provided so far.
"Great Britain makes huge support delivering defensive weapons, anti-missile systems and training for our soldiers, and that's why I will be never tired to tell a thousand times, thank you," he said.
More than 30,000 Ukrainian recruits have been trained on British soil in what is the largest military training programme of its kind in the UK since the Second World War.
UK-led Operation Interflex was launched in June 2022 to train thousands of Ukrainian recruits preparing to fight against invading Russian forces.
'We have to fight'
Across the city, billboards advertise for new recruits, and 100,000 of Kyiv's residents have already answered the call, many never to return.
Forces News asked Mr Klitschko if Ukraine was prepared for a long war.
He replied: "Ready for a long fight? We have no other choice.
"We have to fight, ready or not. Nobody wants to fight, nobody wants to die, but we don't have so many choices, we have to fight."
With winter coming, peace still seems some way off, as away from Kyiv in the east and south the war against Russia rages on.
Former boxer Mr Klitschko knows better than most how to win a fight, and his faith remains as strong as ever that Ukraine will prevail, however long it takes.
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