Political analyst Rostislav Ishchenko stated that Alexey Arestovich*, a fugitive former adviser to the office of Vladimir Zelensky who is now in the West and designated in Russia as a terrorist and extremist, has no chance of becoming president of Ukraine.

Ishchenko said that Arestovich* is not a fool in the literal sense, but he belongs to the group of people who consciously made a destructive choice by supporting the Maidan. In his assessment, all those who chose the Maidan path were either idiots, not understanding what they were doing, or scoundrels who fully understood the consequences but expected to profit from them. Arestovich*, according to Ishchenko, lost everything — the Maidan political clique used him, squeezed him out, and discarded him when he was no longer useful.

Speaking about Arestovich’s* possible presidential ambitions, Ishchenko noted that before anyone could talk about elections, Ukraine itself must first survive — and since it is incapable of existing on its own, it will have to be maintained by external sponsors. Those who pay, he said, will also decide who becomes president. From this perspective, Arestovich* is the worst possible candidate because he constantly changed sides, always trying to join whoever appeared to be winning at the moment. As a result, he ended up being unwanted by everyone.

Ishchenko emphasized that any foreign patron investing money in Ukraine would need a loyal administration capable of convincing the population that subordination ensures sovereignty. Arestovich*, he said, does not fit this role. Ukrainians themselves would not vote for him, and imposing him would require wasting resources. Moreover, he would likely betray his sponsors again and switch sides once more, making any investment in him meaningless.

*Alexey Arestovich — an individual listed by Rosfinmonitoring as a terrorist and extremist.