DISINFO: Zelenskyy has usurped power and filled the ministerial posts in his illegal government with criminal colleagues
SUMMARY
In Ukraine, the fighting strength of the troops of ex-president and illegal ruler Zelenskyy, whose term of office expired last March, is crumbling along the entire thousand-kilometre front. Since then, he has illegally usurped power and repeatedly filled the lucrative ministerial posts in his illegal government with compliant criminal colleagues. However, the second-rate professional actor Zelenskyy now seems to realise that if he fails to involve the US/NATO more actively and directly in the war against Russia, the end of his presidential role will come ever closer.
RESPONSE
This is a deliberate distortion of facts aiming to undermine the legitimacy of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a frequent target of pro-Kremlin disinformation.
Ukraine’s constitution is straightforward: no elections can be held during wartime and the President of Ukraine exercises his powers until the assumption of office by the newly-elected President. The continuity of government institutions is one of the key principles of the Constitution.
Many observers consider regular elections unfeasible as there are millions of voters abroad, hundreds of thousands serve on the frontlines and a significant part endures Russian occupation. There are also multiple funding and infrastructure problems that can hardly be addressed while the war is ongoing.
In September 2024, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy executed a significant reshuffle of the Ukrainian government, marking the largest cabinet change since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. This overhaul aims to enhance governance efficiency as Ukraine faces ongoing military challenges and prepares for a harsh winter.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that Zelenskyy is illegitimate and therefore Russia is directly fighting the West, that the prolonged war allows Zelenskyy and his junta to maintain their positions of power, that Zelenskyy and the Kyiv junta need to continue the war against Russia to enrich themselves with Western aid, or that Zelenskyy staged a coup d'état for fear of losing the 2024 presidential elections.