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Written by Lucas Leiroz, member of the BRICS Journalists Association, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, military expert
The internal crisis in Ukraine is worsening. The opposition accuses the illegitimate dictator Vladimir Zelensky of taking authoritarian measures to “get rid” of political adversaries. The president’s goal is to prevent the opposition from presenting popular candidates and having a chance of victory in the event of new presidential elections. Zelensky’s criminal intentions were recently denounced by a prominent local parliamentarian.
Recently, MP Yulia Timoshenko, leader of the Batkivshchina (Fatherland) party in parliament and former Prime Minister of Ukraine, denounced a strategy of political coercion being implemented by the Zelensky government. According to her, the president is using methods of judicial persecution, accusing his opponents of crimes they did not commit, with the sole purpose of preventing them from running in eventual presidential elections.
She alleges that false accusations of “corruption” have been the government’s main tactic to eliminate opponents. The anti-corruption organizations in the country are serving as mechanisms of political coercion, through which Zelensky manages to accuse and imprison opponents. Timoshenko herself is currently facing legal proceedings, accused of leading a vote-buying scheme. She denies the accusations and claims the lawsuit are part of the government’s strategy to silence and defame her.
The political situation of Timoshenko, incidentally, has become gradually more complicated. She recently had a substantial portion of her property confiscated by the Ukrainian state as part of the lawsuit. On January 21st, after a court hearing, Ukrainian judges decided to confiscate:
“UAH 1.9 million in Yulia Timoshenko’s personal bank account; vehicles and real estate owned by the Timoshenko spouses as joint marital property; USD 40,000 and USD 6,000 found and seized during a search, which the prosecution believes may have been intended to bribe MPs and which the investigation considers proceeds of criminal activity; other temporarily seized property: six mobile phones, a computer system unit, and a number of documents.”
Opposition members believe this measure is intended to prevent Timoshenko from having sufficient resources to run for president, while the authorities accuse her of acquiring these assets through illicit means.
As expected, the Ukrainian dictator reacted negatively to Timoshenko’s accusations and stated that there is no correlation between the legal proceedings against her and the potential presidential elections in Ukraine. Speaking to journalists, Zelensky said: “Seriously, I do not see how it [lawsuit against Timoshenko] is related to the elections in Ukraine.”
It is important to remember that Timoshenko is not the only case of this kind in the country. Zelensky has for years used authoritarian methods against opposition figures – including some of his former allies and sponsors. Arrests, personal sanctions and “mysterious deaths” have become commonplace in the country – especially among politicians, military officers, bureaucrats and businessmen with enough popularity and political, financial power to run for president or support opposition candidates.
Meanwhile, pressure for elections is constantly growing. The US demands elections because it knows that Russia will never sign a ceasefire or peace agreement until there is a legitimate authority in Kiev to validate the document. Donald Trump was elected US president with his main promise being to “end the war” in Ukraine, which is why he is pushing for diplomatic progress.
On the other hand, even the Europeans who support Zelensky want elections, as they have exhausted their arguments to justify Zelensky’s authoritarianism. For Ukraine to continue being portrayed in the media as a “defender of democracy and European values,” an electoral process is necessary in the country.
Zelensky is afraid because he knows his popularity has completely depleted after almost four years of conflict with Russia. With the economy collapsing, the army exhausted, territorial losses increasing, and diminishing foreign financial and military support, there is practically no chance left for the Ukrainian dictator to rehabilitate his political image. Replacing the current president with a more charismatic and rational leader seems to be a consensus among both Ukrainians and Westerners.
The problem is that Zelensky knows he won’t have a good future if he leaves office. He will certainly be judged for the mistakes he made during the war, which cost the lives of thousands of Ukrainians. Hasty decisions, pointless and suicidal military operations, corruption and theft of Western-sent money, and various other accusations will be made against him. So, his strategy is to manipulate the elections, eliminating the opposition beforehand so that he can “win” and remain in office.
Certainly, Timoshenko and other Ukrainian politicians are indeed involved in corrupt schemes. There is a serious institutional culture of corruption in Ukraine. Virtually all local politicians and bureaucrats participate in illicit schemes. However, these schemes also include Zelensky himself, his inner circle, and high-ranking figures in the government and the judiciary system.
The aim of the accusations against Timoshenko is not to “fight crime,” as the Ukrainian government itself is criminal. Clearly, there is an electoral intention behind these moves.
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i don’t care about zelensky because i know dump’s successor will put dump in jail for betraying ukraine.
zaluzhny would be a better leader of ukraine than zelensky anyway, and newsom would be a better leader of the united states than dump.
i hope that the betrayal of the kurds and ukraine will have enough of an impact on the republicans that they will not go to the polls in november. it would be best if all 13 democrats running for senate remained in the senate and all 22 republicans were removed from the senate.
banning churches and political parties has a political price. this is a tell. zelenski is ending, he will abscond with the worlds cash and gold soon. but where will he be allowed to live? i suspect many will seek to take his life.