Has Ukraine started organizational preparations for elections? Presidential Office responds

According to Podolyak, there is a legal procedure that will not be ignored. Martial law is still in effect. After its completion, if parliament votes for it, two processes will go forward simultaneously.

"The first one is 3-6 months, more likely 6 months, to prepare for elections. That’s the organization of the process. At the same time, changes will be made to the legislation because we understand that these will be post-war elections, and there are certain nuances. The Central Electoral Commission will have to propose changes to the legislation itself," the Advisor said.

He emphasized that until a ceasefire or even a temporary truce is reached, martial law will not be lifted.

“No one will put people at risk. We won’t break constitutional provisions just because Russia wants elections for some reason. Russia is absolutely no longer a subject that can influence our internal politics,” Podolyak stressed.

The Advisor to the Head of the Presidential Office added that changes to electoral legislation will still need to be worked on and voted on, which is a complex process.

“The second point is that there is no possibility to organize the electoral process from a security perspective because the ceasefire is not working yet. Russia continues to strike every day, or every night,” Podolyak explained.

Additionally, according to Podolyak, significant efforts will be required to address the issue of internally displaced persons and how they will vote in the elections.

“We need to clearly understand how we will work with the large number of internally displaced persons. This is completely different work, a whole different volume of work regarding voter lists and the registration of territorial electoral districts, and so on. These are quite complex processes, and they won’t be solved just because Russia wants something,” Podolyak concluded.

Elections in Ukraine

Recently, The Economist reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy allegedly instructed to organize elections after a complete ceasefire is achieved. The elections might be scheduled for July 2025.

The outlet states that the first confirmation of the elections could come on or just before May 5, the deadline by which the parliament must vote on extending martial law, which expires on May 8.