Category Elections

DISINFO: Zelenskyy has usurped power in Ukraine

This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative aimed at defaming President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian leadership to absolve Russia from its responsibility for suspending the democratic process in Ukraine.

Since 2022, Russia has waged large-scale armed aggression against Ukraine and is also responsible for the outbreak of the conflict in 2014, after having illegally annexed the Crimean Peninsula and engineered the creation of rebel militias in Donetsk, Luhansk and other places, with its army actively participating in military clashes.

Further, Zelenskyy's reported decision to postpone next year's presidential poll was made in accordance with current Ukrainian legislation. Article 19 of the 2015 Ukrainian law "On the Legal Regime of Martial Law" directly prohibits the holding of presidential and several other types of elections during wartime.

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DISINFO: Zelenskyy is usurping power in Ukraine

This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative aimed at defaming president Zelenskyy and absolve Russia from its responsibility for suspending the democratic process in Ukraine.

Ukrainian law prohibits holding presidential elections while under martial law. This was stipulated by the Ukrainian martial law passed in 2015, long before President Zelenskyy became the president of Ukraine in May 2019.

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Illustration of a hand putting a ballot into a ballot box.

No, Zelensky hasn’t “canceled” Ukrainian elections

Accusations have circulated on social media that President Zelensky of Ukraine has cancelled elections in Ukraine, and extended martial law in order to remain in power.

In fact, holding elections now, under wartime conditions, would almost guarantee another Zelensky victory. It would also be illegal under Ukrainian laws that predate Zelensky's time in power.

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Article: “Wartime Elections in Ukraine Are Impossible”

It is illegal under Ukraine's constitution to hold elections while martial law is in effect. These rules predate President Zelensky's time in power.

This Foreign Policy article gives a detailed overview of why holding elections in wartime Ukraine would be not just illegal, but would also put millions of civilians at risk while lining up under Russian missiles. An election today would also disenfranchise many of the millions of Ukrainians who are displaced, abroad as refugees, under Russian occupation, or prisoners in Russia.

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Twitter Blue accounts fuel Ukraine War misinformation

BBC News debunks several disinformation narratives making the rounds on Twitter - amplified in particular by paid "blue check" accounts:

- Weapons for Ukraine not used in French riots
- No evidence of 'baby factories' in Ukraine
- Kramatorsk missile not Ukrainian
- Zelensky has not cancelled elections

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FACT CHECK: Did Vladimir Putin Blame Americans For Interfering With Their Own Democracy? | Check Your Fact

Verdict: False
The video was created by the non-partisan anti-corruption organization, RepresentUs. A spokesperson for the organization confirmed the footage of Putin included in the video was not real.

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Disinfo: Zelenskyy is only a marketing operation, a Jewish face for a Nazi regime

The myth of Nazi-ruled Ukraine has been actively used by the pro-Kremlin outlets for years to denigrate Ukraine.

In 2015 Ukraine issued a ban on Nazi and Communist ideologies. The far-right groups had a limited presence during the Euromaidan protests and have suffered defeats in every national election since, with a united front of all radical right-wing parties in the 2019 parliamentary elections winning only 2.15% of the vote falling far short of the 5% minimum guaranteeing entry into parliament.

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