Zelenskyy rejects wartime elections as risk to unity and warns of 300,000 Russian mobilization

Rejection of wartime elections

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed journalists on Sunday, firmly rejecting proposals to organize national elections while the war against Russia continues. Under Ukrainian martial law, elections remain suspended, a policy backed by broad public consensus to focus resources on the battlefield. A poll published by the Kiev Institute of Sociology found that only 15% of Ukrainians support holding a vote before the end of hostilities. Zelenskyy argued that conducting a national ballot under present conditions would divide the country and undermine national unity.

I think that in a war like this, elections as such are a huge risk. Elections at this time would be a tsunami for the country, that would fracture Ukraine.

He added that pursuing wartime voting would severely damage the state, noting that Russia shows no interest in a ceasefire and continues regular missile bombardments across the territory.

Political tensions with former defense minister

The domestic debate resurfaced after former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov called for finding a path to hold elections without providing an implementation roadmap. Fedorov was removed from his post in July 2026, triggering public demonstrations that challenged the presidential administration. The former minister had spearheaded military drone programs and structural reforms, leading to friction with the high command and the subsequent dismissal of Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi. Zelenskyy defended the constitutional right to peaceful protest while rejecting attempts to divide the military from civilian society.

My strategy is twofold: to end the war and preserve an independent and sovereign state. And I am implementing it.

Zelenskyy cited logistical barriers to any vote, including the enfranchisement of soldiers on the front line, millions of displaced refugees living abroad, and citizens in occupied areas.

Warning over Russian troop mobilization

During the same press conference, Zelenskyy stated that Russia plans to mobilize 300,000 additional troops following its legislative elections scheduled for 18 to 20 September 2026. Ukrainian intelligence assesses that Moscow could recruit up to 500,000 soldiers by targeting remote peripheral regions to avoid unrest in main Russian cities. Russian voluntary enlistment numbers declined in 2025, prompting authorities to rely on university recruitment drives and street sweeps. Zelenskyy noted that the Kremlin aims to capture the entire Donbas region and could call up hundreds of thousands of additional soldiers in 2027. In addition to physical recruitment, Ukrainian officials cited the risk of Russian disinformation campaigns aimed at destabilizing Ukrainian political processes.

Defense capabilities and Independence Day diplomacy

Zelenskyy spoke in Kyiv alongside the leaders of eight Nordic and Baltic countries (Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden) during a ceremony marking Ukraine's 35th Independence Day. He reported that Russian forces are suffering heavy casualties while assaulting Ukraine's fortress belt in Donetsk province, while Ukrainian units have made territorial gains in the southeast. Zelenskyy projected that the area of territory Ukrainian forces liberate in 2026 will equal the total territory occupied by Russian forces during the year. However, the president warned of a sharp reduction in Western air defense deliveries as Russian ballistic missile attacks intensify. Ukraine expects to receive 264 interceptors in 2026, down from 364 interceptors delivered in 2025.