--- title: "\"This Is a Tsunami for the State\": Zelensky Explains Why Elections During the War Are Risky for Ukraine" description: "Zelensky stated that holding elections under conditions of a full-scale war carries risks for Ukraine comparable to a tsunami, and is ready to discuss voting only if real security guarantees are in place." date: 2026-08-23T09:22:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/zelensky-elections-during-war-risks-for-ukraine tags: [ukraine-elections, zelensky, wartime-elections, russia-ukraine-war, ceasefire] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # "This Is a Tsunami for the State": Zelensky Explains Why Elections During the War Are Risky for Ukraine ![Volodymyr Zelenskyy in front of the Ukrainian flag explains the risks of holding elections during the war](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/23/zelenskyi-vybory-vo-vremya-voyny-riski-dlya-ukrainy/zelenskyi-vybory-vo-vremya-voyny-riski-dlya-ukrainy-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - Zelensky compared elections during the war to a "tsunami for the state" and called them a serious risk for Ukraine. - The president is ready to discuss voting only if real conditions are met: safety without shelling, participation of military personnel, the diaspora, and frontline residents, and changes to the legislation. - The topic of elections under wartime conditions was publicly supported by Donald Trump and former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov (August 18, 2026). Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has publicly stated his position on one of the most sensitive political issues of wartime — holding elections under conditions of a full-scale war. Speaking to journalists, the head of state compared a possible vote in such circumstances to a "tsunami for the state" that, in his words, could split the country. Zelensky emphasized that his strategy is to "see the country through to the end of the war" and preserve an independent and sovereign state, and stated that he is consistently carrying it out. ### The President's Position: Risks First According to Zelensky, Ukraine has previously been pushed to hold elections during the war, yet no concrete proposals for organizing a safe and democratic vote have ever emerged. The president directly linked the risks to the absence of a ceasefire: since Russia does not agree to one, the conditions for a calm electoral process are, in his assessment, not currently met. "I think, if we want to tear the country apart, then during a war like this we can move in the direction of elections," he stated, adding that elections "right now" carry existential risks for the state. ### The Conditions Named by the Authorities At the same time, Zelensky did not close the topic entirely: he declared readiness to discuss the issue if partners put forward real conditions for holding a vote. Among the key requirements he named the ability of military personnel, residents of frontline areas, and Ukrainians who have left the country because of the war to participate in the elections. A separate and, in essence, decisive condition, the president named the safety of the process itself — the absence of missile strikes and shelling on voting days, as well as the need to make corresponding amendments to the legislation. ### External and Domestic Context The topic of elections during the war was one of the first to be raised publicly by U.S. President Donald Trump, who at the end of last year stated that democracy "cannot exist without elections" and that Ukrainians must be given the opportunity to elect their government. Within Ukraine, the initiative was supported by former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who on August 18, 2026, called for finding a mechanism to hold elections under wartime conditions, emphasizing the need to ensure voting for military personnel, the diaspora, and residents of frontline zones. Zelensky, in response, confirmed his readiness for dialogue but again tied it to security guarantees and legal changes. ### Strategy Until the End of the War Thus, Kyiv's overall position looks like a compromise between formal openness to discussion and a de facto refusal to hold a vote until the end of hostilities. For the authorities, the key argument remains the absence of a ceasefire regime and, as a consequence, the inability to ensure the physical safety of the electoral process. Until these conditions are met, Zelensky insists that his priority remains preserving the state until the end of the war, rather than holding elections in the midst of it. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - ["This Is a Tsunami for the State": Zelensky Speaks on Elections During the War](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/tse-tsunami-derzhavi-zelenskiy-vislovivsya-1787475497.html) - Первичный источник цитат президента: метафора «цунами», условия (военные, диаспора, прифронтовые, безопасность), ссылка на отказ России от прекращения огня. - ["A Tsunami for the State." Zelensky Speaks on Elections in Ukraine During the War](https://news.zerkalo.io/world/134880.html) - Совпадает с версией РБК по ключевым цитатам и контексту. - [Zelensky Opposes Holding Elections During the War](https://fraza.com/news/377202-zelenskij-vystupil-protiv-provedenija-vyborov-vo-vremja-vojny) - Подтверждает общую позицию президента против голосования в условиях войны. - [Zelensky: Elections in Ukraine Will Take Place After the End of the War. Day 1469 of the Full-Scale War](https://www.rfi.fr/ru/%D1%83%D0%BA%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0/20260303-1469-%D0%B9-%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%8C-%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%B0%D1%81%D1%88%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%B1%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B9-%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B9%D0%BD%D1%8B-%D1%80%D1%84-%D0%B2-%D1%83%D0%BA%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B5) - Подтверждает стратегию проведения выборов после окончания войны; датировка дня войны согласуется с хронологией 2026 г. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: Why does Zelensky oppose elections during the war? **A:** The president believes that voting under conditions of a full-scale war carries risks for Ukraine that he compared to a "tsunami for the state" capable of splitting the country. The key reason is the absence of a ceasefire and, as a consequence, the inability to ensure the safety of the electoral process. ### Q: Under what conditions is Kyiv ready to discuss holding elections? **A:** Zelensky named several conditions: the safety of the process without missile strikes and shelling, the ability of military personnel, residents of frontline areas, and Ukrainians abroad to vote, as well as amendments to the legislation. ### Q: Who else has raised the topic of elections during the war? **A:** The topic was publicly raised by U.S. President Donald Trump at the end of last year, and on August 18, 2026, former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov called for finding a mechanism to hold voting under wartime conditions.