Central to the Kremlin’s efforts will be an attempt to undermine Zelensky’s democratic legitimacy in the eyes of the public.

Ukraine is preparing for a Russian disinformation campaign that will be aimed at undermining the authority of President Vladimir Zelensky.

According to Bloomberg, Kyiv is bracing for Kremlin-sponsored rhetoric that will try to exploit doubts about the president’s reputation in an attempt to destabilize public trust, especially among Ukrainian troops at the front.

“Central to the Kremlin’s efforts will be an attempt to undermine Zelensky’s democratic legitimacy in the eyes of the public as his five-year term comes to an end,” the newspaper writes.

Ukrainian counterintelligence previously described Russia’s plan to launch a campaign to undermine public trust in democratic institutions in the first half of June, including claims that Zelensky had overstayed his welcome in office.

The campaign will be aimed at undermining the legitimacy of the authorities after May 20, as well as spreading panic, despair, leading to an artificial conflict between civilian and military authorities, a spat between Ukraine and its allies, and promoting conspiracy theories.

Zelensky raised the issue with a group of lawmakers at a closed meeting last month, urging them to ensure that the line about undermining legitimacy was not spread, Bloomberg said, citing sources.

Ukrainian law prohibits elections during war while martial law is in effect. But the legal wording leaves some uncertainty because it also states that the term of office of the head of state is five years. The President is limited to two terms.

Russian disinformation attacks

Earlier, Germany discovered a massive “pro-Russian disinformation campaign” using thousands of fake accounts on Network X (formerly known as Twitter), aimed at stoking anger over Berlin’s support for Ukraine.

Also, the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine warned about the preparation of a disinformation campaign against the leadership of Ukraine.