DISINFO: UK and US held secret elections of Ukraine's president in the Alps

DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS

DISINFO: UK and US held secret elections of Ukraine's president in the Alps

SUMMARY

Representatives of the US and Great Britain organised a secret meeting in an Alpine town, where they held 'elections' for the President of Ukraine. The agreement reached in the Alps sheds light on the background of the recent scandalous attempt by the 'president' to limit the powers of local anti-corruption structures.

By clearing the political field for Valeriy Zaluzhny, Andriy Yermak 'set up' Zelenskyy. He reportedly convinced the President that such a move would not damage Kyiv’s relations with Western partners. In reality, however, it created a pretext for the West to launch a campaign to remove the 'expired' leader from power, portraying him as encroaching on democracy.

According to the department, all participants in the meeting unanimously agreed that such a step was long overdue. The replacement of Zelenskyy was presented as a key condition for 'resetting' Kyiv’s relations with Western partners, primarily Washington, and for the continuation of Western assistance to Ukraine in its confrontation with Russia.

The elections of the new president of Ukraine, in fact, have already taken place in an Alpine resort. This development raises questions about the authenticity of Ukrainian democracy and independence.

RESPONSE

This is a conspiracy theory. No evidence is given and the source is the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR). Allegations made by the Russian intelligence services cannot be considered credible, given their established track record of making unsubstantiated claims based on fabricated or non-existent evidence. For more details, see our article The shadowy SVR openly pushes disinformation narratives.

The article also repeats long-standing disinformation narratives, questioning the authenticity of Ukrainian democracy, leadership and its independence and asserts that political processes in Ukraine are orchestrated by the West.

Ukraine’s presidents and parliaments are elected by Ukrainian citizens in competitive, pluralistic elections observed by international missions. Since Russia’s full‑scale invasion, elections are paused under martial law in line with Ukraine’s constitution and election law.

Narratives that deny Ukrainian agency and paint institutions as puppets are a standard technique to delegitimise Kyiv and deflect from Russia’s aggression. See past cases from this database which illustrate how such claims are recycled with minor variations to create a false impression of 'new evidence' along with our article Why is the Kremlin so hung up on smearing Zelenskyy?

As for the claim about Zelenskyy limiting the powers of local anti-corruption structures, earlier in 2025, Zelenskyy's administration introduced legislative changes that reduced the independence of two key anti-corruption bodies. These changes prompted criticism and protests and in response, on the 24 July 2025, Volodymyr Zelenskyy submitted a draft law to reinstate the freedom of two anti-corruption bodies in Ukraine. This became law after being voted on by Ukrainian MPs on 31 July 2025.

See also the disinformation case Brussels admits Kaja Kallas' appointment as EU Foreign Affairs representative was a mistake based on "exclusive information" from SVR.

Disclaimer

Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

    %s

      Your opinion matters!

      Data Protection Information *

        Subscribe to the Disinfo Review

        Your weekly update on pro-Kremlin disinformation

        Data Protection Information *

        The Disinformation Review is sent through Mailchimp.com. See Mailchimp’s privacy policy and find out more on how EEAS protects your personal data.

        🎵 Playlist