MOSCOW, November 14. /TASS/. Any drop in the approval ratings of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky may prompt the West to install a different pawn in Kiev, for example, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, Valery Zaluzhny, Rodion Miroshnik, the Russian Foreign Ministry's special envoy for the crimes of the Kiev regime, said on the air of the Soloviev Live channel.

"The internal turbulence [in Ukraine] is driven by the West," Miroshnik said. "If Zelensky's ratings begin to plummet, his influence both inside and outside the country will dwindle, too. Then there will be a risk assessment of how smoothly and in what way he can be replaced and whether he can be replaced by Zaluzhny or some other minion."

"Any potential election depends directly on the current situation, because it is clear that now it is impossible to hold a real election in Ukraine," Miroshnik added.

The deadline for the next presidential election in Ukraine is next spring, but under Ukrainian law, it cannot be held during martial law. President Vladimir Zelensky has repeatedly said that the election of the head of state can only be held after the end of hostilities. Nevertheless, Kiev's Western partners insist on holding the vote within the stipulated timeframe. In particular, US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has said that the presidential election should be held on time, regardless of the hostilities. After that, Zelensky changed his rhetoric somewhat. In one of his interviews, he speculated that the election might be held under martial law if the West agreed to bankroll it.