Ukraine | Zelenskyy continues to crack down on critics

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has imposed sanctions on several critical figures. Among the most prominent are political scientist Kostiantyn Bondarenko, blogger Myroslav Oleshko, and former presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych.

The Ukrainian government accuses them of "linking their fate to the propaganda and interests of the Russian state" and of "justifying the war and conducting active information operations to the detriment of Ukraine." Among other things, the affected individuals' accounts were frozen. Furthermore, they are no longer allowed to engage in media activities or travel in Ukraine, which is initially obsolete in the case of Oleshko and Arestovych, as both have left Ukraine.

"The sanctions have become a means of settling scores with political opponents."

Oleksiy Arestovych Former Presidential Advisor

Criticism of the army and mobilization

Last year, Bondarenko published a critical biography of Zelensky, portraying the president as a wild card in a geopolitical game. The work was hotly debated in Ukraine. Oleshko primarily criticized the army's high casualties and the brutal forced mobilization in the country.

Arestovych was an advisor to Zelensky from 2019 to January 2023. Zelensky gained considerable notoriety in the first year of the war when he commented daily on the war events – in Russian. Nationalists accused him of treason even then. After Arestovych's comment on a rocket strike in the city of Dnipro was not in line with the state line, he resigned . His popularity did not suffer.

Arestovych showed political ambitions

After leaving the country, Arestovych became one of the most vocal critics of Zelensky's policies. In April, he harshly criticized the National Security Council's sanctions against journalists. He argued that they had become a means of settling scores with political opponents and were being used for blackmail. To avoid being placed on the sanctions list, Arestovych claimed, one had to pay.

Last November, he caused a stir when he presented a 14-point plan for his presidency and suggested negotiations with Russia . Kyiv then launched a discrediting campaign against Arestovych. He was also branded a Russian propagandist then. An accusation that seems absurd, given that he is on wanted lists in Russia and Belarus as an "extremist."

Sanctions abused for political campaign

Arestovych sees the sanctions now imposed as an "illegitimate instrument used to eliminate political rivals." Similarly, Zelenskyy has been trying for months to keep his predecessor, Petro Poroshenko, out of office.

Zelensky is under increasing domestic pressure because, despite his boastful announcements, he is no longer able to control the consequences of the war . The brutal mobilization and the failure of his Kursk invasion are also weighing heavily. According to internal polls, over 60 percent of Ukrainians are dissatisfied with him, and in the south and east, the figure is even higher than 70 percent. The government recently increased the budget for state propaganda channels.

Presidential election: yes or no

All these signs indicate that Zelenskyy may be preparing for a presidential election after all. Citing the current martial law, the election has been suspended in Ukraine. Moscow, in particular, is vehemently demanding a presidential election in order to then bring a pro-Kremlin candidate into office, according to accusations from Ukraine and Europe. But Washington has also repeatedly hinted that an election could bring an end to the war.

There have been repeated reports in the Ukrainian media that Zelensky's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, is indeed preparing for an election. Just a few days ago, the government-critical Telegram channel wrote about a "Russian scenario" being prepared, in which opposition media and politicians would be eliminated and Zelensky would only have to compete against extras. However, there is no evidence for this.

Zelenskyy wants to bomb the Victory Parade in Moscow

These days, however, Zelensky is hardly concerned with domestic politics. Instead, he basks in the supposed success of the recently concluded raw materials agreement with the USA . And he issues threats against Moscow. After Zelensky rejected Vladimir Putin's ceasefire proposal for May 9, he had Roman Kostenko, Secretary of the Rada Committee for National Security, rave on the radio about having the weapons to attack the Victory Parade on Red Square. "That's not a big challenge," Kostenko claimed.

An empty threat, since it can't be done without US help. And Donald Trump is unlikely to approve such an action. Especially since soldiers from China, with whom Zelenskyy cannot afford a break, will also be present.