Despite Zelenskyy’s statement, OP preparing for upcoming elections and attacking opponents, - Politico
Ukrainians do not seem to take President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's statement that he is not going to run in the next presidential election at face value.
This is stated in an article by Politico, as reported by Censor.NET.
Both Zelenskyy's opponents and his allies are sceptical about this statement, the author writes.
According to the publication, two "Servant of the People" MPs said after the faction's meeting with the president that he "seemed optimistic about his re-election prospects."
Politico also drew attention to the Office of the President's attack on anti-corruption agencies. Zelenskyy's opponents see this as an attempt to stop investigations into people close to the president and as "an integral part of the Office of the President's covert, albeit harsh, campaign to prepare for the upcoming elections by putting opponents at a disadvantage."
One former Ukrainian minister said that after what happened in July with the anti-corruption agencies, "politics in Ukraine is back." He asked not to be named because the president's aides are using law enforcement agencies to intimidate Zelenskyy's critics and political opponents.
Sanctions against opponents
Another former minister believes that Zelenskyy's aides are using all the power and tools at their disposal to discredit and prevent their rivals from changing the situation.
"Essentially, the tactic is that ‘you say something against us, we open up criminal proceedings against you and sanction you’. They’re essentially blackmailing all their potential opponents or perceived opponents," he explained.
As an example, the publication describes the sanctions against the fifth president and leader of "European Solidarity", Petro Poroshenko. Such actions, Politico writes, have drawn criticism and accusations of a ‘politically motivated’ witch hunt.
Ukrainian activists claim that the authorities are using the SSU in a campaign to intimidate anti-corruption bodies and block investigations into officials close to the president's entourage.
Cases against generals
Others point to an increase in the number of SSU investigations into former generals. The publication suggests that this may be linked to former Armed Forces Commander Valerii Zaluzhnyi, whom many consider to be Zelenskyy's most likely potential rival in the elections.
"Criminal cases against generals for losses endured in 2022 is a potential leverage [that] presidential aides are weighing to use against Zaluzhny," said one former minister.
Another former senior defence official disagreed, saying that none of the generals were that close to Zaluzhnyi or closely associated with him, and that the investigations were being conducted to uphold the rule of law.
