Kyiv braces for Russian disinformation campaign against Zelenskyy

Ukrainian authorities are worried that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy may be vulnerable to a Russian disinformation campaign that will seek to undermine his authority, Bloomberg reported on Mar. 3

Kyiv is bracing for a Kremlin-sponsored narrative that will seek to exploit misgivings about the President’s in an effort to undermine public trust, particularly among Ukrainian frontline troops, according to a person familiar with Zelenskyy, speaking on condition of anonymity.

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Central to the Kremlin’s effort will be a bid to erode Zelenskyy’s democratic legitimacy in the eyes of the public as his five-year term comes to a close without a vote to seek reelection.

The Ukrainian leader has made clear that he anticipates the Kremlin to latch onto the issue, even as dictator Vladimir Putin this month stages an election, whose outcome is a foregone conclusion, to once again extend his nearly quarter-century rule.

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“This is not an opinion held by Western partners or anyone inside Ukraine, but a narrative and program of the Russian Federation,” Zelenskyy said, citing G7’s intelligence verifying the Kremlin’s plan.

According to a poll conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology in early February, the overwhelming majority of Ukrainians (69%) believe that Zelenskyy should remain in office until the end of martial law.

Earlier, Zelenskyy said that elections in Ukraine could be held in wartime, provided that the legislation is amended and voting is organized in a way that is safe and that all Ukrainians, both at home, at the front, and abroad, can participate in the process.

He said later that in his opinion, elections in Ukraine are "not yet timely" because it is a time of defense and battle, on which the fate of the state and Ukrainians depends.

The Ukrainian parliament denied on Nov. 3 that it was preparing for a Presidential election during the war. The state budget for 2024 does not provide for spending on elections.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine