Zelensky Will Soon Lack Legitimacy, Russia Says

On Monday, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) stated that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will "completely" lose legitimacy on May 20.

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"Zelensky has begun to lose the fight for 'the hearts and minds' of the Ukrainian people, especially since his legitimacy as president will be completely lost after his term expires on May 20," it said, adding that the U.S. is already looking for a replacement for Zelensky.

Washington only cares about Zelensky "as long as he is capable of continuing the armed conflict," the SVR stated, adding that the United States is interested in seeing the attack on Russia continue "until the last Ukrainian."

The statements about Zelensky's loss of legitimacy precede the inauguration of Vladimir Putin, who will assume his fifth term tomorrow after winning the presidential elections in March with more than 87 percent of the votes.

On Saturday, the Russian Interior Ministry put Zelensky on its wanted list, noting that he committed a crime under the Penal Code. No details were specified about the accusation.

Russia also issued a search and arrest warrant for Petro Poroshenko, who served as president of Ukraine between 2014 and 2019. Previously, Russian authorities had issued arrest warrants for other senior Ukrainian officials.

On Monday, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that its forces liberated the village of Kotliarivka in the Kharkiv region and the village of Solovevo in Donetsk.

Previously, Russian forces had controlled the towns of Novobajmutivka, Semenivka and Berdichi, which are located north of Avdivka.