What happened
Kyiv City Council deputy Yevhen Kuzmenko suffered a spinal fracture as a result of slipping on ice in Kyiv. He reported this on Facebook; the information was also published by the UNN news agency.
“Sincerely thank the city services and management companies. Winter arrived unexpectedly. Spinal fracture, out for at least 4 months. Ashamed of the work we’ve done. City of happy people”
— Yevhen Kuzmenko, Kyiv City Council deputy
Who Kuzmenko is
In 2020 Kuzmenko was elected a deputy of the 9th convocation of the Kyiv City Council from the party “Servant of the People.” He is the deputy chair of the commission on architecture, urban planning and land relations and is a member of the Political Council of the party’s Kyiv organization.
Why this matters for Kyiv residents
The incident is not only a personal misfortune for the deputy: slipping on ice highlights a systemic risk for pedestrians. It is a question of Kyiv residents' safety, the effectiveness of communal services, and the quality of management of housing and communal services. If even a deputy who oversees urban development was injured on the street, it is a red flag for authorities to review sidewalk treatment procedures and priorities in the allocation of technical resources.
Context
According to UNN, the event occurred during cold weather; meteorologists forecast that on January 20 most of Ukraine will be cloudy with clear spells. Icy conditions are a seasonal phenomenon, but managerial shortcomings can increase the number of injuries and the burden on the healthcare system.
What next
This is a chance for city authorities and management companies to respond with concrete actions: to publish schedules for sidewalk clearing, transparent algorithms for allocating equipment, and prompt communication with residents. For Kyiv residents — a reminder that street safety depends both on infrastructure and on managerial decisions.
