Ukraine's president predicts rising public discontent with Putin before September vote

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that public dissatisfaction in Russia with President Vladimir Putin will continue to grow ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for September.

Zelenskyy claimed Ukrainian intelligence agencies had obtained documents that reach Putin's desk, adding that the Russian leader rarely receives fully accurate information.

Even so, he said, the documents allow conclusions to be drawn about domestic trends in Russia.

"Russians’ dissatisfaction with Putin will continue to rise steadily," and it “will not plateau” by September, when parliamentary elections are scheduled in Russia, Zelenskyy said through US social media company X.

He also noted that support for Russia's ruling party United Russia is showing a "steady downward trend," suggesting that "significantly greater electoral fraud" would be needed to secure the desired result.

Zelenskyy cited further reports indicating a rise in protest sentiment across Russia.

"We believe these reports also do not yet take into account the potential events of June, July, and August, which are bound to further affect the situation in Russia," he said, adding that Putin could face "significantly worse indicators" by the time of the elections.

"Unfortunately, to all the public and non-public peace proposals we have made, the only response has been words about continuing his war," Zelenskyy said.

He argued that Russia's internal situation should persuade Putin to pursue peace.

"Ukraine is proposing to negotiate a dignified peace. Obviously, the trends will not change, and over time this may mean that an agreement will have to be reached with someone else from Russia – someone who will not shut themselves off from reality," he said.

Moscow has not yet responded to Zelenskyy's claims.