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By Shane Croucher
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Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko lashed out at what she called a "purge" tied to elections in Ukraine after her offices were raided by corruption investigators probing alleged bribery of parliamentarians to sway their votes.
Tymoshenko, a likely rival to President Volodymyr Zelensky if he stands again for election, or potential challenger to one of his political allies should they choose to run if he does not, said "I categorically reject all these absurd accusations" in a response posted to her Facebook page.
Ukraine is long overdue for presidential elections, but they have been put on hold because of Russia's ongoing invasion of the country, which is under martial law. The constitution forbids elections in such circumstances.
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But Zelensky has said he would be willing to hold elections very quickly once peace, or at least a ceasefire, is established with Russia, as he sought to address concerns from the Trump administration about his popularity and credibility. It is not clear if Zelensky will run, having said before that he is not a peacetime leader, and voters may want someone with a new mandate.
"It seems the elections are much closer than it appeared," Tymoshenko, a People's Deputy of Ukraine with the Batkivshchyna party, said in her statement on Wednesday, originally in Ukrainian.
"And someone has decided to begin a purge of competitors. This is not the first political hit job against me. Persecution and terror have been my daily reality for many years. I have long since stopped being afraid, because I know that I am honest with myself, with the people, and with Ukraine. No one can break me or stop me. And this time, once again, we will prove the truth."
Back in September, Zelensky addressed his political future in an interview with Axios, saying he was "ready not to" stand in elections once the war is over.
"My goal is to finish the war," Zelensky said, adding that Ukraine would hold presidential elections when the Russian invasion ends.
Zelensky was elected in a landslide in 2019, and if it had not been for Russia’s invasion, his five-year term would have ended in May 2024. Zelensky’s popularity has fluctuated from the highs of over 90 percent at the start of the war to still well above 60 percent.
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Despite his popularity as a wartime leader, Zelensky faced the first major protests of the conflict in July 2025 after his allies in parliament tried to weaken the country’s independent anti-corruption agencies, before the move was reversed. He has also faced a backlash over conscription of Ukrainians to fight in the war with Russia.
The Ukrainian president's inner circle was rocked in 2025 by a $100 million corruption scandal that toppled his influential chief of staff and longtime ally, Andriy Yermak.
In March last year, four senior members of Trump's team held secret talks with Zelensky's top election rivals—Tymoshenko and former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko—and discussed whether the country could hold wartime elections.
Both Poroshenko and Tymoshenko confirmed they had been in touch with Trump administration officials at the time, but said they opposed elections taking place during the country's war with Russia.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine continues, with daily aerial attacks on the country and fierce fighting along the eastern front lines. The Trump administration is attempting to broker a peace deal, but an agreement remains elusive because of sharp differences on the division of territory, security guarantees for Ukraine and control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
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