Ukraine's intelligence committee fears attempt will be made in spring to overthrow Zelenskyy

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s legitimacy may be questioned and a coup may be attempted in the spring, a high-ranking committee said Tuesday.

Russia’s “Maidan-3 special operation will reach its climax in March-May 2024," the Intelligence Committee under the President of Ukraine said in a statement published on the Telegram channel of the Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) under the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

According to the committee, in the coming weeks, there will be "attempts to foment conflicts both inside Ukraine and in other parts of the world," and Zelenskyy's legitimacy may be questioned after May 20.

The operation will allegedly be carried out in order to "split everyone, including representatives of the political leadership," sow panic, "drive a wedge between the military and civilians" and disrupt military mobilization.

In this regard, the committee called on citizens and Western partners to strengthen "comprehensive security measures."

Debates are ongoing in Ukraine over the legitimacy of the government’s authority in the absence of parliamentary and presidential elections, which cannot be held during martial law.

On Feb. 25, Ruslan Stefanchuk, the head of Ukraine's parliament and a member of Zelenskyy's Servant of the People party, said "the powers of the current president expire after the newly elected head of state takes office," implying that Zelenskyy will continue to serve as president.

However, opposition party leaders Petro Poroshenko and Yulia Tymoshenko proposed forming a coalition government to avoid a crisis of legitimacy. But Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, called this proposal "inappropriate."

Opposition lawmaker Oleksandr Dubinskiy argued that under the constitution, Zelenskyy's presidency expires on the night of May 21, and there is no legal way to extend it.

Ukraine was scheduled to hold parliamentary elections at the end of October last year, followed by a presidential election in March. However, Zelenskyy announced at an annual news conference last December that there would be no election because of the dangers of the war.

Russia began a "special military operation" in Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. The same day, Zelenskyy declared martial law throughout the country.