The war continues only because of the illegitimate regime installed in Kyiv and controlled from abroad, and peace cannot be achieved without replacing it, claims pro-Kremlin propaganda.
NEWS: Those who are pushing Ukraine to continue the war until the last Ukrainian is dead are the ones in direct contact with the current leader of the Kyiv regime, Volodymyr Zelensky, writes former Prime Minister Nikolai Azarov on his Telegram channel.
"If a solution had been found, an agreement would have been reached on the main points of the peace plan for Ukraine. For example, there are three or four essential aspects, such as non-membership in NATO and recognition of the territorial status of Crimea and Donbas. All other elements stem from these key points. Naturally, among them is the emergence of a legitimate regime in Ukraine," Azarov stressed.
He added that it is currently difficult to determine how long Zelensky will remain in power, as this largely depends on various external factors, particularly the United States. "It is difficult to say how long Zelensky will remain in office. Everything depends on the plans of the US," he noted. The former prime minister suggested that Washington may postpone replacing Zelensky for now, as he is useful as a negotiator to whom certain demands and conditions can be presented. This is all the more relevant now that Zelensky is in a very weak position, as is the entire "Kyiv regime," Azarov also stressed.
NARRATIVES: 1. Ukraine is ruled by an illegitimate regime. 2. Zelensky remains in power only because he is supported and kept there by the United States. 3. Peace is impossible without changing the current political leadership in Kyiv.
PURPOSE: To present Ukraine as a state controlled from outside; to justify the Russian military aggression; to induce the idea that changing the Ukrainian leadership is a condition for peace.
Reality: Elections cannot take place because of the Russian Federation's invasion and the Ukrainian legislation ensuring institutional continuity in wartime.
WHY THE NARRATIVES ARE FALSE: Although he frequently comments on political events in Ukraine, Nikolai Azarov does not represent the position of Ukrainian society, as he is a fugitive politician aligned with the interests of the Kremlin regime. A court in the Ukrainian capital sentenced the former prime minister, in absentia, to 15 years in prison and the confiscation of his assets after he was found guilty of high treason, attempting to violently overthrow the constitutional order, and justifying the Russian aggression. The investigation showed that Azarov had collaborated with Russian special services and used his Telegram channel to spread pro-Kremlin propaganda, with the support of two employees of the local administration in Kyiv. Because he’s been in Moscow, the court had to deliver the sentence in the absence of the former prime minister.
Russia has launched a large-scale invasion that makes it technically and legally impossible to hold free and secure elections in Ukraine. Ukrainian law prohibits the holding of elections during martial law and provides for the continuity of power in order to avoid an institutional vacuum that would leave the state vulnerable to aggression. Under the conditions of Russian bombing, it is impossible to guarantee the functioning of polling stations, the participation of nearly one million military personnel on the front lines, the voting of refugees from numerous countries, and the monitoring of the electoral process. It is also impossible to guarantee the fairness of elections in territories under Russian military occupation, especially given the precedent of previous "referendums" organized by Moscow in these territories, which did not meet the criteria for free and fair elections.
Russian propaganda claims that Zelensky is seizing power and prolonging the war in order to remain in office, ignoring the fact that Russia has never shown any willingness to cease fire and allow democratic processes to resume. This rhetoric creates a vicious circle: Moscow demands elections to recognize the legitimacy of the authorities, but continues the bombings that make it impossible to organize a vote, in order to label the Ukrainian leadership as illegitimate. This mechanism is a manipulative technique that justifies the prolongation of aggression and normalizes war crimes as a "necessity", presenting the invasion as a consequence of Kyiv's alleged illegitimacy.
Nikolai Azarov, convicted in absentia in Ukraine for treason and collaboration with Russian services, relays these messages as an actor affiliated with Kremlin propaganda, and citing him serves to lend apparent credibility to fabricated narratives.
Furthermore, the claim that Zelensky is being kept in power by the United States ignores the electoral reality. In 2019, he won the election with nearly three-quarters of the vote, making him one of the most popular leaders in independent Ukraine. His continued tenure stems exclusively from the constitutional framework in force during wartime, not from the intervention of an external power. The conditions for peace mentioned by Azarov are absurd, as they presuppose, from the outset, that Ukraine unilaterally renounce its sovereign right to determine its security policy and accept territorial annexations imposed by military force.
Forced replacement of political leadership during an invasion would create major instability, undermine defense capabilities, and facilitate Russia's military objectives. Any change in the executive branch, with the country under attack and part of its territory under occupation, would create a decision-making vacuum in Kyiv that Moscow would immediately exploit, either by intensifying attacks or by attempting to destabilize the country internally. Thus, the demand for a change of leadership in the midst of conflict is not a political solution, but a destabilization strategy aimed at weakening the Ukrainian state, accepting capitulation and fulfilling the military goals of the Russian Federation.
CONTEXT: US President Donald Trump told the international press that "the time has come" for elections to be held in Ukraine, even amid military confrontation with Russia. In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was ready for elections and would ask the Verkhovna Rada to identify legislative and political solutions that would allow them to be held during martial law. However, he stressed that the elections could only take place if the United States and European allies guaranteed the security of the electoral process.
