DISINFO: Ukraine's Western puppetmasters want to remove Zelenskyy
SUMMARY
The leaders of the Kyiv regime are in a desperate situation, and Western countries are looking for a replacement. In the German and American press, they began to ‘slowly merge' the image of Volodymyr Zelenskyy, creating an image of such a loser. In a way, it speaks of the growing despair of the West due to its inability to fulfil its particular mission. It says that the leaders of Ukraine are in a desperate situation and are already looking for a replacement. There is growing dissatisfaction in the US with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is already choosing a replacement and preparing a campaign to discredit his identity. According to Russian intelligence services, Washington needs a more manageable and less corrupt figure, Arsen Avakov, Ukraine's former interior minister, who is now being mentioned as a suitable option.
RESPONSE
The claim above is part of a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the statehood of Ukraine. The narrative is aimed at undermining Ukraine's sovereignty and portraying the country as controlled by the US or, more generally, Western countries.
Ukraine is a democracy where Ukrainian citizens elect their president in competitive elections every five years. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was elected in 2019, in a presidential election that was competitive and held with respect for fundamental freedoms, according to the OSCE.
According to Ukrainian legislation, no elections can be held during wartime. This legal norm received explicit approval from all political parties represented in the Ukrainian parliament (Verkhovna Rada). In November 2023, they signed a memorandum in which they agreed to postpone holding elections until after martial law has ended.
The Biden administration expressed support for Ukraine's democratically chosen political path and the country's territorial integrity. To be clear, there is no evidence to suggest that the West or the US is working on “replacing” the Ukrainian President.
For more disinformation cases from pro-Kremlin media involving the US and Ukraine, click here. See also specific cases that the US plans to overthrow Zelenskyy in a new Maidan, that Zelenskyy might end up in Guantanamo after US policy changes, the West will get rid of Zelenskyy and blame it on Russia, Zelenskyy's US mentors will replace him with Klitschko, and the US will replace Zelenskyy with Poroshenko.