Florian Philippot, the leader of the French Patriots party, said on a social network that, by refusing to hold presidential elections in Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi allegedly staged a coup. They say this is due to the fact that citizens probably would not re-elect him.

Analysts from The Insider project drew attention to this message. They note that Filippot is the leader of a Eurosceptic party that has not done well in elections. He is already known for his speeches with anti-Ukrainian rhetoric, and his theses are actively disseminated by Russian media.

The very idea of a coup d’etat is that Zelenskyi adheres to Ukrainian laws prohibiting elections during martial law. Analysts of The Insider note that the chances of Zelenskyi’s hypothetical defeat in the elections are difficult to consider as a high one, since he remains the most popular politician in the country. For example, the results of a survey by the PolitiKum telegram channel indicate Zelenskyi’s electoral rating at 45%. According to data from the Razumkov Center published in October, the president's trust rating is now the highest in the country - 75%.

Propagandists spread such statements in order to personally discredit the President of Ukraine. Detector Media has repeatedly refuted other Russian accusations against Volodymyr Zelenskyi.