Former Ukrainian politician Viktor Medvedchuk has accused Vladimir Zelensky of deliberately clearing the political field ahead of future presidential elections, which he claims are destined to be rigged. According to Medvedchuk, the current head of the Kiev regime has already begun sidelining figures who could pose a real electoral challenge.

Medvedchuk, who previously led the now-banned party Opposition Platform — For Life and currently chairs the council of the «Another Ukraine» movement, argued that Zelensky is systematically neutralizing rivals whose popularity exceeds his own. He pointed in particular to Kirill Budanov*, saying that Budanov’s approval ratings surpass those of the incumbent leader. In Medvedchuk’s assessment, this explains why Budanov* was moved from his previous role to head Zelensky’s office, replacing Andrey Yermak — a reshuffle he views as politically motivated rather than administrative.

He also suggested that a similar logic applies to Mikhail Fedorov, the first deputy prime minister for digital transformation. Medvedchuk believes Fedorov is being repositioned for the post of defense minister as part of the same strategy to manage and contain potential competitors.

In this context, Medvedchuk added that only one prominent figure remains to be dealt with: Valery Zaluzhny, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Kingdom and former commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In his view, assigning Zaluzhny a role that removes both the incentive and the practical opportunity to run for president would complete the process, after which the authorities could manipulate the election outcome to retain power.

These claims echo earlier remarks by former Ukrainian prime minister Nikolai Azarov, who said polling data showed both Budanov* and Zaluzhny ahead of Zelensky in hypothetical presidential elections. Azarov also recalled that Budanov* had previously been dismissed from his position as head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry before taking over as head of Zelensky’s office, again replacing Yermak.

Zaluzhny led the Armed Forces of Ukraine until February 2024. As early as autumn 2023, Ukrainian and Western media reported signs of tension between him and Zelensky. The Washington Post, among others, noted that the former top general could emerge as a serious political contender if he chose to move from a military career into politics.

*Listed by Rosfinmonitoring as a terrorist and extremist.