On Sunday, 27 September, two rallies took place simultaneously in Kyiv — one against the felling of trees to make way for a heating pipeline, and the other calling for the construction to be completed as soon as possible. The defenders of Teremky Park are simply calling for an alternative route to be chosen for the pipeline, but their position is at odds with the demands of those who do not want to spend the winter in the cold.
EcoPolitic reports on the tense situation.
A calculated ploy?
According to reports in the BZ media, activists ‘for the park’ claim that the demonstrators ‘for the heating pipeline’ were brought in a separate vehicle with ready-made placards.
However, Kyiv residents who wish to preserve the green space have once again emphasised that they are not opposed to the heating pipeline itself, but to the methods the city is using to construct it. In other words, they object to the disregard shown for existing green spaces and the views of the public.
"The local authorities are manipulating the ‘heating or the park’ issue and the critical nature of the situation in the country. If there had been a proper dialogue with the architects and residents from the very beginning, the pipe would probably still be here, but underneath the footpath, and most of the park would have been preserved. What they are currently doing in other parts of Teremky — amongst the trees — clearly shows that a more considerate approach would have been possible,” Bogdan Gdal, a community activist and protest participant, told BZ.
Джерело: bzh.life
Heat is absolutely essential
The position of those who are in favour of building backup utility networks is entirely understandable — due to damage to the heating system last winter, hundreds of homes were left without heating.
"If an alternative heating pipeline isn’t built, this could lead to even worse consequences. Because that repaired system is old; it’s been patched up by emergency repair teams from all over Ukraine. I believe we need to publicly inform all the activists who oppose the construction: there’s almost no time left before the new heating season. This heating pipeline must be completed as a matter of urgency,” a man who introduced himself as the head of the residents’ committee for one of the blocks on Zabolotny Street told journalists.
Джерело: bzh.life
Escalation of clashes
The protests once again ended in physical clashes. According to BZ, activists from the ‘White Sector’ organisation began storming the fence, leading to scuffles with the police.
Later, one of the protesters claimed that a police officer had punched her in the nose because, at the time, she was “defending a veteran whom he was choking”.
1/ A police officer punched me in the face.
Because I was defending a veteran whom he was choking.
And the veteran was being choked because he had come to defend the green space in Teremky.
This story is being spun as ‘the park versus the heating’.
This is manipulation by Klitschko’s PR team pic.twitter.com/CSCnI1Quxg— U. (@ulndzhrlk) September 27, 2026
Tree felling and the ineffectiveness of alternatives
During a meeting of the Verkhovna Rada’s Temporary Investigation Commission on the implementation of the Kyiv Resilience Plan, the mayor of the capital commented on alternative routes for the heating pipeline.
According to him, they would have cost considerably more, and the work would have taken longer.
As reported by LB.ua, a hundred trees were felled back in the summer. The Kyiv City State Administration is now proposing to fell a further 5–10 trees as part of an ‘optimised route’.
However, as noted by the ‘Holka’ civic initiative, on the night of 24 September, a further 30 or so trees were felled in Teremky Park, which is completely at odds with the authorities’ promises. The felling took place during a heavy rocket attack.
As a reminder, the tender for the design of a backup heating pipeline was announced in 2023. Tree felling began at the end of July 2026. It has emerged that more than 660 trees could be affected, including 100-year-old oaks.
Initially, the route was to run along Teremkivska Street, but the authorities changed it due to the presence of utility lines there. No technical justification for these changes was provided to the public.
To avoid having to seek approval for the felling of trees, Kyiv made use of a pilot scheme launched by the Cabinet of Ministers, which was designed to streamline the bureaucratic procedures for implementing Sustainability Plans. However, the capital’s authorities did not comply with the government’s requirements — the plan was not approved by the National Security and Defence Council.
EcoPolitics has set out a detailed history of the conflict in this article.
