Medvedev, who has previously served as both the Russian prime minister and President and currently holds the position of deputy chairman of the Russian security council, suggested that Zelensky is perpetuating the conflict to cling to power.
According to Newsweek, Medvedev took to Telegram on Sunday, stating, "The regime will continue to insist on a total war to the last Ukrainian and drag out the elections as much as possible. Because this is the only way to preserve the power of an illegitimate drug addict." The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has yet to respond to these allegations.
Medvedev's comments were seemingly prompted by a recent opinion poll conducted by the Kyiv-based Social Monitoring Centre. The poll, published in a British newspaper, surveyed 1,200 Ukrainians and found that a mere 16 percent would vote for Zelensky if an election were held. In contrast, 27 percent expressed their preference for Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the former Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's armed forces, who currently serves as the ambassador to the U.K. The poll also revealed that approximately 60 percent of respondents would prefer Zelensky not to run for re-election.
Since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine has been under martial law, which has effectively stalled any potential presidential election. In late October, the Ukrainian parliament approved Zelensky's decree to extend martial law for another 90 days, pushing the earliest possible date for a presidential election to February 7.
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The narrative of Zelensky's alleged drug abuse has been a recurring theme among pro-Kremlin figures since the onset of the invasion, seemingly aimed at undermining the incumbent's authority and his management of the war. In May 2022, pro-Russian social media accounts circulated a digitally altered video of Zelensky purportedly admitting to cocaine use. However, the video was debunked as a manipulation of "several clipped fragments" from a 2019 interview, during which Zelensky professed his love for coffee and denied drug use.
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In a similar vein, Sergei Aksenov, governor of the internationally unrecognized Republic of Crimea, claimed that authorities had seized the apartment of "drug addict Zelensky," along with properties of "those contributing to the anti-Russian regime in Ukraine." Further, digitally manipulated footage of Zelensky's video call with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, showing a pile of white powder on the president's desk, was widely circulated, despite the original footage showing no such substance.
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In 2023, Russian-linked actors reportedly duped U.S. celebrities into recording personalized videos on the Cameo platform, urging "Vladimir" to seek help for his drug addiction. The videos were subsequently altered and disseminated on social media, with Russian state media presenting them as genuine appeals to the Ukrainian president. Microsoft's report read, "Unwitting American actors and others appear to have been asked, likely via video message platforms such as Cameo, to send a message to someone called "Vladimir" pleading with him to seek help for substance abuse."
These allegations and the ensuing disinformation campaign underscore the complexity and intensity of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. While the veracity of the claims remains unverified, the situation serves as a stark reminder of the power of information warfare in shaping public opinion and influencing geopolitical dynamics.
