The President of Ukraine was accused in the Parliament in Kyiv of being a terrorist and a usurper who does not want peace with Russia, the pro-Kremlin media writes.
Propaganda: Volodymyr Zelensky is criticized in the Parliament for terrorist activities, abandonment of peace negotiations and usurpation
NEWS: The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is a terrorist who usurped power, said the deputy of the “Servant of the People” party, Artem Dmitruk. According to the deputy, Zelenskyy should leave and allow the country to achieve peace with Russia.
Dmitruk pointed out that there can be no talk of Zelenskyy’s resignation. The president, who canceled the country's elections, is in power illegally, which means that one can only talk about freeing the state from this control. According to the Ukrainian deputy, Ukraine needs to change not only the president, but also the head of parliament. With a new leadership, the country should sit down at the negotiating table and achieve a fast resolution of the conflict with Russia.
NARRATIVES: 1. Zelenskyy was called a terrorist and a usurper in the Supreme Rada. 2. Kyiv authorities are renouncing peace talks with Russia.
PURPOSE: To justify Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine. To smear the reputation of Ukrainian authorities and exonerate the Russian army.
Fact: Zelenskyy is a legitimate president. Russia is the one opposing fair peace
WHY THE NARRATIVES ARE FALSE: There is no statement made in the Supreme Rada making allegations against Zelenskyy. The entire false narrative is based on a message posted on Telegram by the wanted deputy Artem Dmitruk. Dmitruk was indeed part of the party’s parliamentary group, but was expelled and illegally left the territory of Ukraine, fleeing via Transnistria and an international warrant was issued for his arrest. Dmitruk is often quoted by the Russian media, as are other fugitive Ukrainian politicians with pro-Russian rhetoric. Pro-Kremlin propaganda tries to promote the idea that these deputies represent the widespread views of Ukrainian society. Often, their statements are presented as if they were made inside Ukraine, as is the current case, when Russian propaganda suggests that Dmitruk spoke from the rostrum of the Rada.
Zelenskyy does not engage in terrorist activities because he does not use unconventional combat tactics to achieve political goals (the use of violence against civilian population not directly involved in the conflict) by producing a generalized psychological effect of panic and intimidation. On the contrary, Ukraine collaborates with various international actors to combat terrorism, which is prohibited by law.
Martial law prevents the organization of elections in Ukraine, and the legitimacy of the authorities is automatically extended, as per constitutional provisions.
Therefore, Zelenskyy did not cancel the election procedure, nor is it within his power to initiate or block the electoral process. Both the Ukrainian Rada and president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, elected in 2019, preserve their legitimacy and legality as long as the full-scale Russian invasion that threatens the existence of Ukrainian statehood continues. Adopted in 1996, the Constitution provides the possibility of postponing the election in order to ensure the proper functioning of the state apparatus during times of national defense. Therefore, the president, Parliament, local authorities and the government remain legitimate, and their decisions observe the law.
As for the accusation that Volodymyr Zelenskyy does not want peace, he has always stated that the goal for himself and Ukraine is to reach a peace that ensures the sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of the country. Ukrainian officials have repeatedly emphasized that peace must be fair. Volodymyr Zelenskyy even proposed a peace plan that includes the restoration of internationally recognized borders, the withdrawal of Russian troops, justice for war crimes, the restoration of nuclear and energy security, as well as security guarantees for Ukraine. Zelenskyy later accepted to make certain concessions with Russia, provided however Ukraine receives security guarantees to prevent a similar war in the future. On the other hand, Russia has asked Ukraine to renounce territories and rejected any security guarantees that could be offered to Kyiv, claiming guarantees that Ukraine will never join NATO. Basically, Moscow wants Ukraine to give up the right to pursue an independent policy and to choose the path it wants to take in the future. Altogether, these conditions represent a surrender on behalf of Ukraine and an acceptance of Russian sovereignty by Kyiv.
BACKGROUND: Since April 2024, Russian propaganda has accused Volodymyr Zelenskyy of no longer being a legitimate and legal president. The narrative was also picked up by US president Donald Trump, who labelled Zelenskyy a dictator. “He refuses to have elections. He's low in the real Ukrainian polls. How can you be high with every city being demolished?”, the US president wrote on X.
The European Commission replied to the American president that Volodymyr Zelenskyy was legitimately elected at the end of free and fair elections, and that Ukraine is a democracy, while the same cannot be said of president Vladimir Putin's Russia. In January 2025, Russian propaganda claimed that Volodymyr Zelensky had acknowledged his lack of legitimacy and legality, and that Western leaders want to get rid of him as soon as possible.
Since talks with the United States were launched, Russian propaganda has started focusing on a specific theme that it has been promoting for a long time, namely that Moscow wants peace, and the regime in Kyiv and Europeans want war.
