Kuleba Proposed Restricting Voting Following the Occupation
Former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba stated that people who have lived under Russian occupation for a long time should not immediately be granted the right to vote in elections. He believes that years of propaganda and information isolation could have significantly influenced their choices. According to him, the state must proceed cautiously and establish a transition period.
Ukraine, according to former Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, faces a complex dilemma following the de-occupation of its territories, since this involves not only restoring control but also working with people who have lived for years under Russian propaganda and information isolation. That is why he believes that the issue of such citizens’ participation in nationwide elections requires a separate and deferred decision.
In his comments, Kuleba explicitly noted that the rapid restoration of voting rights could pose risks to political stability. “Ukraine is reclaiming these territories and treating those who endured the occupation with tolerance, but their right to vote in national elections and the holding of local elections will be postponed for a certain period. We cannot allow people who have spent 8–12 years under occupation, subjected to total propaganda and total brainwashing, to go and vote in elections right away,” he said.
He suggested that such a transition period could last from five to ten years, depending on the decision made by the state and how quickly a normal social environment is restored in these territories. Separately, Kuleba emphasized that Russian citizens who moved to the occupied Ukrainian territories after 2014 must leave those areas.
The diplomat also stressed that any promises or statements made by people who lived under occupation cannot automatically serve as a basis for Ukraine’s political decisions. In his view, the state must be guided by its own security interests and long-term stability, rather than by emotional or situational arguments. The debate surrounding this issue continues, as it touches on the fundamental principles of democracy, but also on the consequences of prolonged informational influence during the war. This was stated by former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in an interview with Channel 24.
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