Weltschau

In my opinion, the 2024 presidential election in Russia is an extremely important issue for the entire Ukrainian society. After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the two countries lost all relations with each other. The brutal war, numerous war crimes, and large-scale destruction caused by Russia have left a great mark on Ukraine’s history.

First, a large number of Ukrainians are very dubious and cautious about elections in Russia.  The distrust itself is shaped not only by the war, but also by the long authoritarian rule, manipulation by the authorities, and even deadly blackmail. And, of course, this “method of governance” has been actively used during every election process in Russia.  Many people are convinced that the election results were falsified, and the “prize” went to the person who organized the so-called “elections without choice” and forced people to choose his candidacy at gunpoint, and this person is Vladimir Putin.

Second, I believe that some Ukrainians viewed the elections as a certain, albeit unlikely, opportunity for a normal transformation of power and change within Russia itself. Some Ukrainians hoped that the Russian people would be motivated by the Ukrainian struggle against the authoritarian regime and would be able to seize the opportunity for democratic transformation. Unfortunately, the magic did not happen. And the small hopes of Ukrainians were not realized.

Third, I believe that most Ukrainians are convinced that elections alone will not be enough to bring about real change in the aggressor country. We need internal, democratic reforms in all spheres—political, economic, and ideological— as well as full public recognition and punishment of those responsible for this war against Ukraine. Only with such radical decisions can we hope for the transformation of Russia into a democratic country that thinks first and foremost about its people. But that is unlikely…

Thus, the attitude of Ukrainians towards the 2024 presidential elections in Russia can be characterized by deep distrust and their own confidence that these elections will not yield any results. Perhaps only through radical measures on the part of the Russian people can there be a small hope that something will change in this country. But this hope is unlikely to be realized.

Polana Rachkivka

Polana Rachkivka is a second-year student in the Journalism Department at V. I. Vernadsky Taurida National University.