NATO is considering removing Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky from power by discrediting him ahead of elections that could take place next fall, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) said in a statement on February 3. The SVR believes that Western officials see President Zelensky as the biggest obstacle to peace talks with Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky remains in office despite his term officially expiring last May. He has refused to step down and postponed presidential elections, citing martial law that has been in place since 2022 following an escalation of the conflict with Russia.
Western leaders are seeking to "freeze" the conflict by pushing both Moscow and Kiev toward negotiations, but Mr Zelensky is seen as a barrier, the SVR said.
“The US and the EU agree that the main obstacle to implementing such a scenario is Mr. Zelensky,” the SVR said, adding that “even NATO understands that Mr. Zelensky’s time is over.”
The SVR believes that NATO is planning to overthrow Mr Zelensky with a media campaign ahead of the Ukrainian elections, which could take place this fall.
According to SVR, Western officials plan to publish corruption allegations with documents showing that more than $1.5 billion in military aid was embezzled by Mr. Zelensky and his associates.
The report also alleges that President Zelensky's administration was involved in the salary scandal of dead soldiers, continuing to receive salaries of 130,000 dead Ukrainian soldiers but pretending they were still in active service.
The SVR also accused Mr Zelensky of being involved in the illegal sale of Western-supplied weapons to armed groups in Africa.
The SVR suggests that President Donald Trump’s return to the White House could prompt NATO to quickly find a replacement for Mr Zelensky. The most important thing for the military alliance is not Mr Zelensky himself, but keeping Ukraine as an outpost against Russia.
Currently, NATO and the Ukrainian government have not responded to the above accusations.
In an interview with the AP on Feb. 1, President Zelensky accused Russia of shunning peace talks and reiterated his call for Western security guarantees as a precondition for talks. He argued that Ukraine’s NATO membership would be the “cheapest solution” to maintaining regional security.
However, Russia has repeatedly stated its readiness to participate in peace talks but only if Ukraine abandons its ambitions to join NATO, withdraws its troops from Russian territory and guarantees the rights of the Russian-speaking community.
