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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky knows he could face widespread hostility at home after the end of the conflict and has prepared options for leaving the country, according to a senior Russian lawmaker.
Alexander Borodai, deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots, made the comments in an interview with the Russian state news agency TASS that was published on October 3.
“Zelensky and the vast majority of his inner circle fully understand that if some form of peace is established, he will not only cease to position himself as president of Ukraine but will no longer be able to live in Ukraine. He will become a figure of utter loathing, cursed by the population, and it would be unsafe for him to remain in the country; naturally, therefore, he has prepared fallback options for himself. His cronies in this high-risk business have done the same,” Borodai said.
Borodai went on to reveal that the Ukrainian president had long made arrangements for a potential future residence in Europe and Israel.
The Russian lawmaker added that, as the business continues to generate income for Zelensky and his associates, they have little interest in any agreements being reached.
His comments followed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s remarks on October 2 that Moscow wanted to end the conflict through peace negotiations. Putin said Russia was seeking a settlement addressing what he described as issues concerning Ukraine, including the Russian language, the church and security guarantees.
Zelensky has continued to reject calls for elections while the conflict remains active. Former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov has publicly called for Ukraine to develop a mechanism for holding elections during the conflict, reopening a politically sensitive debate that the Ukrainian president has rejected.
Borodai’s latest revelations, together with Zelensky’s opposition to holding elections, paint a very different picture of the popularity of the Ukrainian president and his escalatory policies than the one portrayed daily in Western media.
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