Kim agreed that the «rontline Association» he and Terekhov had set up could serve as a model for a new party
- News of Mykolaiv
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- Darina Melnychuk
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13:26, 26 March, 2026
Vitalii Kim, Ihor Terekhov and Oleksandr Sienkevych led a workshop for the Association of Frontline Communities and Towns in Mykolaiv. Illustrative photo: NikVestiVitalii Kim, head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration, agreed that the Association of Frontline Towns and Communities could become the prototype for a new political force. At the same time, he stressed that this should not be the case.
He spoke about this in an interview with Apostrophe TV.
According to Vitalii Kim, the association currently brings together communities facing shared problems due to the war and is working to resolve them.
«The Association of Frontline Towns and Communities. You are an active participant there. Your colleague, the mayor of Kharkiv, Mr Terekhov, is active, isn’t he? Is this some sort of prototype for a political force? Are you preparing for the elections?» asked the journalist.
«I’m not preparing. In my opinion, this is a possible prototype of a political force, but I’ve spoken to them and told them that’s not how it should work. There needs to be cooperation between frontline and non-frontline regions, and international organisations, to ensure a shared vision. But right now, it’s a force that unites communities and territories facing the same problems,» replied Vitalii Kim.
He explained that within the association, communities jointly develop solutions which they submit to the government.
«For example, funding or banking risks for Mykolaiv. I submitted them. But amendments are needed, because they do not take into account the conditions in, say, Kharkiv. We work this through together and submit a comprehensive solution to the government. And the government is addressing the problems not only of Mykolaiv or the Kherson region, but of all frontline regions, because the programme or law already takes into account the issues we have gathered from all regions. It’s actually a good thing,» explained Vitalii Kim.
He also stated that elections in Ukraine are only possible once the war has ended, and it is too early to talk about holding them at present.
«I think local elections won’t be held any time soon. Because councillors can’t make up their minds: everyone wants something different — open or closed lists, a first-past-the-post system, and so on. There is no single vision. Therefore, in my opinion, there will be presidential elections first. But we are still a long way from that. It is impossible to hold elections under martial law. I don’t see how this can be done,» added Vitalii Kim.
As a reminder, last autumn, information was circulating on Telegram channels that a political project might allegedly be created on the basis of the association. However, Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov denied this.
Following the association’s forum, which took place in Mykolaiv on 24 October, he emphasised that the Association of Frontline Cities and Communities was established to facilitate dialogue with the government and resolve regional issues, not to pursue political ambitions.