Three years ago, support for members of a Ukrainian political party who pleaded closer ties with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia plunged to zero after Russian forces invaded Ukraine, flattening entire cities and killing tens of thousands of Ukrainians.
The party, called the life opposition platform, has been prohibited, some members went to betrayal prison and others fled Ukraine. Some former members have gathered in a new faction and are still seated in Parliament, but have generally remained silent since the Russian invasion.
Now, some of these pro-Russian politicians are trying an unlikely return, inspired by President Trump’s attacks on Ukraine’s current leaders and Russian requests, have echoed by Mr. Trump, that the country organizes elections.
Politicians publish largely viewed videos on social networks in which they have promoted to future candidates; Criticized President Volodymyr Zelensky and his government; And rented Mr. Trump.
It is unlikely that efforts will gain a lot of traction in a country that remains extremely hostile to Russia and to the people who supported it. But analysts say that videos, who are in the grip of disinformation, could nevertheless stir up the divisions at a time when the unity of Ukraine and its leaders are threatened with a hostile M. Trump.
Oleksandr Dubinsky, a former deputy, has produced videos promoting what he calls a pro-Trump and Pro-Peace program of the prison, where he is serving a betrayal sentence. His videos blame himself on the leaders of Ukraine for the war, saying that they commit a genocide against the Ukrainian people, an echo of Russian propaganda.
Since November, when Mr. Trump has been elected to a second term, the audience of videos in Mr. Dubinsky’s prison on Tiktok has increased from around 40,000 to nearly 1.6 million views.
On February 20, two days after Mr. Trump described Mr. Zelensky as a “dictator”, Mr. Dubinsky announced that he would present himself if an election was held. Ukraine was in danger of falling into a “new form of dictatorship,” said Dubinsky, accusing Mr. Zelensky of forcing his most important potential challengers to give up the race for elections.
A former leader of the opposition platform for life, Yuriy Boyko, had no activity on social networks before early December, when he started publishing videos from a newly open Tiktok account. In videos, he blames the “Ukrainian radicals” for the laws on the Russian language in public spaces, a theme which has long been expressed by Mr. Putin.
Pro-Russian politicians seem to have at least some support in the Trump administration. In 2023, Tulsi Gabbard, who is now a national intelligence director, criticized the ban on the life opposition platform, saying that Mr. Zelensky had “prohibited opposition political parties”.
However, other opposition parties have operated freely in Ukraine.
The term “pro-Russian” in Ukrainian policy is generally applied to the figures linked to the former president aligned by Russian of the country, Viktor F. Yanukovych, who fled to Moscow after a street uprising in 2014. The former members of the opposition platform for life which were formerly affiliated to Mr. Yanukovych are still held in the parliament.
Political analysts say that pro-Russian politicians had seen an opening provided by the requests for a Moscow election to destabilize Ukraine from the inside.
“The role of pro-Russian politicians is to introduce division subjects into society,” said Oleh Saakyan, political analyst of the national platform for resilience and social cohesion, an independent reflection group. “They aim to create divisions between groups such as veterans and non-verterans, refugees and those who have stayed in Ukraine, and puts them against each other.”
Russia seems to support a three -step plan to end the war which would focus on holding elections in Ukraine. Under the plan, which emerged after a high-level meeting in Saudi Arabia this month between American and Russian officials, there would first be a temporary cease-fire, followed by elections in Ukraine, then sign a peace agreement with a newly elected president.
Ukraine had to hold a presidential election in early 2024, but government and civil society groups agreed that it is impossible to hold an election at a time of war.
Most Ukrainian politicians and analysts say they believe that Russia is trying to arouse political intestine struggles in Ukraine to distract the country’s defense, and that Moscow would use time to regroup and develop forces for a renewed fight.
“When the elections cannot be held in accordance with democratic standards, they become a tool in the hands of Russia to attack democracy instead of supporting it,” said Saakyan.
Alina Tropynina, the editor -in -chief of Vox UkraineWho monitors social media, said pro-Russian politicians had accelerated their messages on social media to blame Mr. Zelensky for the war, apparently in response to Moscow’s latest plan.
“It seems that Ukraine has triggered war and that its end depends only on Ukraine, leaving aside that Russia has invaded,” said Tropyina.
Artem Dmytruk, a pro-Russian politician in exile in London, accused the Ukrainian authorities of deliberately prolonging the war, affirming that they benefit financially from the conflict and hamper peace discussions.
Mr. Dubinsky, who describes himself as Trumpist on his social media accounts, publishes multiple updates by praising Mr. Trump and questioning the legitimacy of Mr. Zelensky.
On January 6, Mr. Boyko published a video on Tiktok of himself playing a famous Ukrainian Christmas melody, “Carol of the Bells”, on a piano while wishing his viewers peace.
The timing was important – it was published the same day as the Russian Orthodox Church celebrated the day before Christmas, although the Ukrainian church changed in 2023 to celebrate Christmas on December 25 with most of Western Europe.
Other Ukrainian politicians who are not aligned with Russia also regularly criticize the government and say they would like to take power themselves.
Dmytro Razumkov, a politician who broke with Mr. Zelensky in 2021 and is now leading a faction of opposition to Parliament, said he would present himself if elections were held.
“I have always participated and I still participate in the elections, in one form or another,” he said.
But these opposition politicians also say that the moment is not good for the new elections.
“I really think that the elections are already necessary, but not during a hot war,” said Andriy Osadchuk, deputy for the Parliament of the Holos opposition party.
Natalia novosolova And Andrew E. Kramer Contributed reports.