Zelenskyy: Putin's Support Crumbling Ahead of September Elections
Zelenskyy claimed that Ukrainian intelligence services had obtained documents that reach Putin's desk directly, while noting that the Russian leader is rarely furnished with fully accurate information by those around him.
Despite that caveat, he maintained that the intercepted materials are sufficient to draw meaningful conclusions about the direction of domestic sentiment inside Russia.
"Russians' dissatisfaction with Putin will continue to rise steadily," and it "will not plateau" by September, when parliamentary elections are scheduled in Russia, Zelenskyy said through US social media company X.
He further alleged that support for Putin's ruling party United Russia is on a "steady downward trend," warning that "significantly greater electoral fraud" would be required to deliver the Kremlin's desired outcome at the polls.
Zelenskyy also pointed to intelligence reports indicating a surge in protest sentiment spreading across Russia, suggesting the ground is shifting beneath Putin's grip on power.
"We believe these reports also do not yet take into account the potential events of June, July, and August, which are bound to further affect the situation in Russia," he said, adding that Putin could face "significantly worse indicators" by the time of the elections.
The Ukrainian leader expressed frustration at Moscow's continued refusal to engage with peace overtures, stating: "Unfortunately, to all the public and non-public peace proposals we have made, the only response has been words about continuing his war."
Zelenskyy argued that Russia's deteriorating internal dynamics should logically compel Putin to pursue a negotiated settlement, warning that time was running out for the Russian leader to be the one to strike a deal.
"Ukraine is proposing to negotiate a dignified peace. Obviously, the trends will not change, and over time this may mean that an agreement will have to be reached with someone else from Russia – someone who will not shut themselves off from reality," he said.
Moscow had not issued any response to Zelenskyy's assertions at the time of publication.
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