Ukraine is currently not carrying out any work on preparing or implementing online elections, and the idea of fully digital voting would require complex preparation, legislative changes and a high level of public trust. This was stated by Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov during the national telethon, according to RBC-Ukraine.
Fedorov said the issue of online elections is extremely sensitive, especially amid Russia’s full-scale war and ongoing cyberattacks. He stressed that elections are always about trust — both in the results and in the institutions responsible for organizing and overseeing the process.
According to the minister, Ukraine currently has no legal grounds for holding elections online. Parliament would need to adopt relevant legislative amendments, and the Central Election Commission would have to make a separate decision. He added that no state institution has approached the ministry to prepare or develop an online voting mechanism.
Fedorov emphasized that during wartime the risks of interference in the electoral process, including information and cyber threats, increase significantly, making it impossible to view online elections purely from a technical perspective. He noted that Ukrainians tend to trust not technology itself, but those who organize the process and the overall political situation in the country.
He also said that if the state were to move toward online elections, it would first need to conduct extensive research and involve international experience, particularly that of Estonia. Among the key challenges, the minister listed participation of Ukrainians abroad, voting by residents of occupied territories, protection of the voter register, identity verification and ensuring ballot secrecy.
Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was ready to hold elections with the support of the United States and European partners. Against this backdrop, Ukraine’s parliament on December 22 created a working group to examine the possibility of holding elections under martial law and began work on relevant legislation.