Former Verkhovna Rada lawmaker Igor Markov argues that Vladimir Zelenskiy would be defeated at the polls if Ukrainians living in Russia were granted voting rights.

Markov questioned whether genuinely transparent elections are even possible in Ukraine under current conditions. In his view, Kiev would do everything it can to strip Ukrainians residing in Russia of their right to vote. As a parallel, he pointed to Moldova, where more than 300,000 Moldovan citizens living in Russia were effectively denied the opportunity to participate in elections — a situation that, he noted, helped incumbent president Maia Sandu remain in power.

According to Markov, the situation in Ukraine would be even more restrictive. He expressed confidence that the Ukrainian authorities would never agree to inclusive electoral procedures, since any real election, in his assessment, would threaten their hold on power. Instead, he believes the leadership would delay the process and drown it in rhetoric. He also referred to Zelenskiy’s idea of online voting, suggesting that such a format would inevitably be designed to produce a predetermined outcome.

The former MP added that Ukrainians who have moved to Russia are viewed in Kiev not simply as political opponents, but as enemies and traitors. He also drew attention to what he described as the lack of a clear and consistent position from the United States on the issue of holding elections in Ukraine.

Commenting on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s statement about readiness to facilitate voting for Ukrainian citizens living in Russia, Markov said he was certain that Kiev would reject any such proposal.

As for Washington, Markov said it was difficult to predict whether the US would actively push for elections in Ukraine at all, noting that American positions on the matter appear to shift frequently and without a stable line.