Zelensky rejects elections during war, warns they could divide Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected calls to hold elections while the country remains at war with Russia, warning that a vote under current conditions could deepen divisions and create major risks for the country.

“Elections right now are a tsunami for the country that will split Ukraine,” Zelensky said in remarks made public on Sunday.

Ukraine has suspended elections under martial law, a measure that continues to have broad public support as the country fights Russian forces. Zelensky said holding elections during the war could put the country at risk of further instability.

His comments came after former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov unexpectedly called for efforts to organise an election. Fedorov did not offer a detailed plan for holding a vote, and some of his supporters have distanced themselves from the proposal.

Experts have identified several obstacles, including how soldiers, millions of Ukrainian refugees and residents of Russian-occupied territories would participate. The threat of Russian disinformation has also been cited as a concern.

Only 15% of Ukrainians believe elections should be held before hostilities end, according to a poll by the Kyiv Institute of Sociology.

Zelensky spoke to journalists on Saturday, his first such briefing in months, amid a series of political tensions. He also criticised Fedorov, saying the former minister was moving, or being pushed, in the wrong direction.

Fedorov had previously advocated reforms and clashed with military leadership. Public support for him had initially grown, with calls for the dismissal of Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky.

Zelensky said Ukrainians had the right to protest but warned against attitudes that could undermine the military.

“Society and soldiers must not be divided,” he said, warning that Ukraine faced a risk of moving towards “dangerous developments”.