MOSCOW, May 20. /TASS/. Law and justice in Ukraine were neglected 10 years ago, and in this sense, Vladimir Zelensky's retention of power after the expiration of his presidential powers does not change anything, Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, has told TASS.

"After May 21 (the expiration date of Zelensky's powers - TASS), nothing will change for the citizens of a country where law and justice were neglected even ten years ago (if we recall the history of Donbass)," Medvedev said.

"They have not lived in a state of law before and now everything will stay as it is," Medvedev said.

The legitimate authorities in Kiev were overthrown in a coup d'etat in 2014, with the most radical and nationalist circles coming to power. The political crisis caused Ukraine’s partial disintegration. The residents of Crimea voted in a referendum to decide to reunite with Russia, while an armed conflict with Ukrainian nationalists began in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions. As a result, local residents proclaimed people's republics independent from Kiev, which also joined the Russian Federation in 2022 as a result of a referendum.