Kinshasa, August 23rd, 2026 (CPA).- The Ukrainian president has estimated on Sunday that elections during wartime would pose a danger to the country, following the controversial call by his former minister in charge of Defence to pave the way for a vote, international media have reported. “I think that in a war like this, elections as such are a huge risk,” has declared Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine. “If we want to destroy the country, then we can move towards holding elections during these times of war,” he has added.
The Ukrainian president has explained that elections would be like a tsunami that would subsequently tear Ukraine apart. “It is impossible under the current circumstances, when (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is unwilling to consider options for a ceasefire,” Mr Zelensky has also affirmed. It is worth reminding that Mr Zelensky’s presidential term was due to expire in May 2024, but no elections can be held in Ukraine whilst martial law is in force, a state of emergency that has been in place since the start of the large-scale Russian invasion of the country in February 2022.
According to sources, organising an election would involve managing a host of obstacles, such as voting by military personnel deployed in the field, by the millions of refugees abroad, and by Ukrainians living in territories occupied by Moscow. The Ukrainian president has spoken out following a series of political controversies, including the sacking in mid-July of the young and popular Minister in charge of Defence, Mykhailo Fedorov. Fedorov has caused a stir last Tuesday with a video resembling a campaign clip in which he has denounced corruption and called, without much detail, for “restoring a democratic process” through elections, despite the Russian invasion of the country.
The Ukrainian president, for his part, has defended citizens’ right to protest but warned against any “disrespectful” attitude towards the army and the “risk” posed by a division “between society and the soldiers”. “Since when has marketing started to take precedence over people who are giving their lives?” he has asked. It should be noted that the president’s decision to dismiss Mr Fedorov has sparked protests involving thousands of people on the streets of several cities across the country, prompting Mr Zelensky to also replace the army commander, Oleksandr Syrsky, who is regarded as a rival of Mr Fedorov.