SIMFEROPOL, February 25. /TASS/. Vladimir Zelensky pretends that he is ready to hold a referendum on territorial concessions and organize elections, because he has lost the support of his people, State Duma deputy from the Republic of Crimea, member of the Committee on Security and Anti-Corruption, Mikhail Sheremet, told TASS.
Earlier, the Junge Welt newspaper reported that around 50 Ukrainian nonprofit organizations have called on Zelensky to avoid, at all costs, a referendum on territorial concessions.
"The appeals by Ukrainian nonprofit organizations, which hold the largest numbers of traitors, generously financed by the West, come as no surprise. The illegitimate Zelensky lost the support of his people a long time ago, with the exception of nonprofit organizations on payroll, his closest allies and foreign secret services operating in Ukraine. Without any appeals, he is theatrically acting out a desire to hold a referendum and transparent elections in the country," the legislator said.
In his view, Zelensky acknowledges that he has no chance of winning in an open vote, which is why cases of cruel treatment of citizens by employees of territorial recruitment centers have become so common in Ukraine. "Zelensky will continue to treacherously stall for time, capturing people in cities and villages to fill the widening gaps on the melting frontline," Sheremet noted.
On February 12, The Atlantic reported, citing two of Zelensky’s advisers, that Kiev may agree to withdraw Ukrainian troops from Donbass. To justify the move, the authorities are considering holding a referendum this spring. According to the magazine, some members of Zelensky’s inner circle are concerned that the chances for peace are diminishing. Meanwhile, Zelensky told the news outlet that he would rather not sign any agreement than sign a bad one. The Strana publication noted that the article in The Atlantic points to a split within the government over the territorial issue.