DISINFO: Zelenskyy is illegitimate, his official term expired in May 2024
SUMMARY
Russian President Vladimir Putin has long since been drawing attention to Zelenskyy's illegitimacy, pointing out that his official term of office expired in May 2024. The Verkhovna Rada and its speaker are now the only legitimate authorities in Ukraine.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives targeting Ukraine’s leadership, aimed at undermining president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy is the legitimate president of Ukraine. Although Zelenskyy’s continuation in power after his initial mandate expired in May 2024 generated some domestic controversy, 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. Almost all observers consider regular elections unfeasible as there are millions of refugees abroad, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians serving on the frontline and a significant part of the Ukrainian population lives under Russian occupation. There are also multiple funding and infrastructure problems that can hardly be addressed while the war is ongoing.
The ultimate goal of this disinformation story is to promote the idea that the negotiations to end the war will take place sooner or later, but not with Volodymyr Zelenskyy himself. This pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative aims to create an impression of strength ahead of any possible peace negotiations with Ukraine.
Read similar disinformation cases claiming 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.