“Putin has elections in September, not us”: Zelensky rules out voting in Ukraine

President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky stated that massive Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities are related, among other things, to the upcoming elections to the State Duma of Russia, scheduled for September 18–20, 2026.

According to him, the Kremlin needs to “show its muscles” to its own audience, since on the battlefield, as Zelensky claims, this is becoming increasingly difficult. The statement was made on July 2 at the site of a destroyed residential building in the Darnitsky district of Kyiv after one of the most difficult attacks for the Ukrainian capital this year. LIGA.net And Ukrinform He is quoted as saying that “Putin has the elections, not us.”

Zelensky: “Putin has elections in September. Our politicians must not forget: we don’t have them. We have to defend our state. He has elections. He needs a united society that will support his United Russia party.”

Careful there. The coke jester might accidentally come too close… pic.twitter.com/7jvp5evKPi

— Margarita Simonyan (@M_Simonyan) July 2, 2026

Zelensky actually responded to rumors about the possibility of organizing voting in Ukraine in the fall. He said that Ukrainian politicians should not forget: the country continues to repel the Russian invasion, and the main task now is not the election campaign, but the defense of the state.

“He needs to unite the community”

The President of Ukraine linked the Russian attacks with the internal political situation in Russia. According to him, Vladimir Putin needs to mobilize support around the United Russia party before the State Duma elections, so the Kremlin seeks to demonstrate strength through attacks on Ukrainian cities.

“He has elections in September. And our politicians should not forget: the elections are not ours. We need to defend our state. He needs to rally a society that will support his “United Russia”. He is afraid of chaos. And you need to show him the muscles. But he cannot show his muscles on the battlefield,” Zelensky said. The quote is published TSN And hromadske.

Elections in Russia are scheduled for September

Elections of deputies to the State Duma of the new convocation in Russia are officially scheduled for September 2026. The decree setting the voting date was signed by Vladimir Putin on June 16. Kremlin reported that the elections will be held on a single voting day, and Russian media indicate the dates are September 18–20.

At the same time, Putin himself is not participating in these elections: we are not talking about a presidential campaign, but about elections to the lower house of parliament. Therefore, the formula “Putin has elections” has a political meaning: Zelensky is talking about a campaign in which the Kremlin is interested in demonstrating control and supporting the party in power.

Why doesn’t Ukraine hold elections?

Presidential elections in Ukraine were supposed to take place in the spring of 2024, but were postponed due to the current martial law. Ukrainian law does not allow national elections to be held during martial law, which was imposed after the start of the full-scale Russian invasion on February 24, 2022.

This position was confirmed by the Ukrainian authorities and parliament. The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine previously directly stated that holding elections during martial law is impossible. NSDC of Ukraine emphasizes that voting can only be discussed after the relevant legal regime has been abolished.

The reason does not boil down to a formal ban. Millions of Ukrainians are abroad, some territories are occupied, many military personnel cannot participate in voting, and the risk of attacks on polling stations makes normal campaigning and vote counting almost impossible.

The attack on Kyiv and the political context

Zelensky’s statement came after a large-scale Russian attack on Kyiv, which killed dozens of people and injured more than 90. According to ReutersOn July 3, a day of mourning was declared in Kyiv: rescuers continued to clear the rubble, and some residents remained missing.

Russia, for its part, says the strikes are targeting Ukraine’s military and energy infrastructure and are a response to Ukrainian attacks on Russian targets. Kyiv claims that a significant portion of the attacks hit residential areas and civilian infrastructure. These versions of the parties in a war fundamentally differ, and independent verification of each episode often takes time.

Zelensky’s phrase about elections does not mean that he announced an indefinite refusal to vote. We are talking about the current situation: while martial law is in effect and large-scale attacks continue, the President of Ukraine rules out holding national elections. His political assessment of the Kremlin’s motives remains an assessment, not an established fact.

Sources: LIGA.net, Ukrinform, Kremlin, NSDC of Ukraine, Reuters.

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