Russia Issues Ominous Warning to Zelensky

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said that people in Ukraine will question the legitimacy of Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky, saying be believed his fate "is sealed," and reiterated Moscow's intentions to fulfill its war aims in its full-scale invasion.

The comments were widely reported by Russian state media, which noted how there were no constitutionally mandated elections in March in Ukraine because of martial law resulting from Moscow's full-scale invasion.

Zelensky was elected in 2019 and some U.S. lawmakers have called for a wartime election to be held in Ukraine.

However, both government and opposition politicians in Ukraine have expressed doubts about the viability of holding a ballot. As well as millions of displaced voters and Moscow controlling nearly a fifth of Ukraine's territory, other obstacles include damaged infrastructure, an outdated voter registry and a lack of funds.

But during an interview with Kremlin-friendly journalist Pavel Zarubin, Peskov said that voters in Ukraine would be unhappy about the lack of an election, saying that, "it seems to me that Zelensky's fate is sealed.

"Very soon the moment will come when many, including in Ukraine, will question his legitimacy," he said in the interview shown on the program Moscow. Kremlin. Putin. and posted on Zarubin's Telegram channel.

"He will have to justify himself somehow," the Kremlin spokesman said, "But the main thing for us is that we must continue (the war)."

"We have to protect ourselves. And we must fulfill the tasks that were set," claiming that on the battlefield, "panic is growing on the Ukrainian side on the fronts."

"It is very important for us to maintain momentum and not stop," Peskov said, adding that "the other side," which he described as "the collective West plus one," would test Russia "as a dare."

The main thing for Russia is not to show weakness, Vladimir Putin's spokesman added.

Newsweek has contacted the Ukrainian president's office for comment.

Polling in Ukraine has shown that the majority of citizens do not want a wartime ballot. A survey conducted between February 22 and March 1 by Kyiv-based firm SOCIS found that 59.7 percent of Ukrainians believed there should be no elections this year because of the war, while just under a quarter thought there should be.

A separate survey in December by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology found that Ukrainians' trust in Zelensky had declined from 84 percent at the end of 2022 to 62 percent by the end of 2023, compared with the 88 percent support enjoyed by his former commander, Valerii Zaluzhny.

Although Peskov has questioned Zelensky's legitimacy, the international community condemned as rigged the Russian election last month that could keep Putin in power until 2030.