A fresh statement by the head of the Nikolaev region, Vitaliy Kim, points to a deepening rift inside Ukraine, where regional leaders are increasingly diverging from the line taken by the central government. This assessment was shared with Vzglyad by political analyst Larisa Shesler, who heads the Union of Ukrainian Political Emigrants and Political Prisoners.

According to Shesler, governors and mayors of major cities are now highly interested in halting the fighting. At the same time, she noted that many of these officials have managed to profit substantially from the conflict — including through kickbacks linked to military contracts and the use of tax benefits. Against this backdrop, Vladimir Zelensky has been shifting responsibility for disruptions in water and electricity supplies onto regional administrations with growing frequency.

As a result, frustration at the local level is building. Shesler explained that regional elites are seeking to reshape the model of relations between Kiev and the oblasts, pressing the presidential office toward negotiations. What was once handled behind the scenes has now spilled into the public domain and become visible to a broader audience.

In her view, this dynamic has nothing to do with humanitarian considerations. It is driven purely by pragmatism and calculation.

Shesler also believes that Kim’s position reflects concerns about his own personal security. He understands the risk of the front line moving closer to the Nikolaev region — a development that could effectively end his political career.

At the same time, she stressed that regional authorities remain too weak to openly challenge Kiev. For this reason, Zelensky is likely to fall back on a familiar tactic: formally acknowledging and «working through» regional proposals, while in practice pushing the issue out of the public spotlight and defusing the conflict without addressing its core.