It would be too dangerous for Ukraine to hold an election while it fights Russia’s offensive, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says in response to a call by his former defence minister to organise a vote.
Ukraine has suspended elections under martial law, a measure widely supported by the population as the country focuses on fighting off the Russian campaign launched in 2022.
“Elections as such are a huge risk. Elections right now are a tsunami for the country that will split Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said over the weekend.
“If we want to destroy the country, then we can move in the direction of elections during these times.”
Zelenskyy, who became president in 2019, made the comments in a briefing with journalists, the first in months amid several political crises.
Obstacles to elections
The latest upheaval saw thousands of people take to the streets after Zelenskyy fired popular defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov.
The ousted Fedorov made a surprise call to find a way to organise elections but without offering a roadmap, prompting even some of his supporters to distance themselves from him.
Experts have cited a flurry of obstacles to elections, including how soldiers, millions of Ukrainian refugees and people from occupied territories would vote, as well as disinformation threats from Russia.
The election call also came as Ukraine struggles to fend off daily Russian missile and drone strikes on Kyiv and other cities.
Only 15% of Ukrainians believe elections should be held before the end of hostilities, according to a poll by the Kyiv Institute of Sociology.
Zelenskyy made numerous jabs at Fedorov during the briefing, which came before events to mark the country’s Independence Day on Monday, August 24, when several international leaders will be present.
Allies are also to hold talks on how to bolster Ukraine’s air defences amid the intense Russian strikes.
“I believe he is going himself — or is being pushed — toward wrong things,” Zelenskyy said of Fedorov.
‘Society and soldiers must not be divided’
The former minister was a prominent backer of the drone warfare strategy that has come to dominate the conflict with Russia and had pushed for army reforms. But he clashed with the military’s command and their traditionally stiff approach.
Much of the Ukrainian public initially took Fedorov’s side and pushed for the dismissal of commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky.
Zelenskyy said people had the right to protest but warned against “disrespectful” attitudes toward armed service members.
“Since when has marketing started to outweigh the people who are giving their lives?” he said.
Zelenskyy sought to cast himself as a rampart against division.
“I believe that society and soldiers must not be divided,” he said. “We must acknowledge that there is this risk — that there may be movement in that direction, toward dangerous developments.”
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that holding elections during Ukraine's conflict with Russia is too dangerous and could split the country.
- Ukraine has suspended elections under martial law, a decision supported by the population as the country focuses on resisting the Russian offensive.
- Former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov called for organising elections, but Zelenskyy and some of Fedorov's supporters criticized the proposal.
- Obstacles to holding elections include how soldiers, refugees, and residents of occupied territories would vote, alongside threats of Russian disinformation.
- A Kyiv Institute of Sociology poll found that only 15% of Ukrainians support holding elections before the end of hostilities.
