WASHINGTON -- On April 21, Ukrainians will decide in a final round of voting who will become their next President -- the incumbent, Petro Poroshenko, or actor and comedian Volodymyr Zelensky, who won the first round of voting and continues to lead opinion polls prior to the runoff.
Since the March 31 election that left Poroshenko and Zelenskiy as the final two candidates, the stakes and the rhetoric have both increased, with dramatic video challenges, livestreamed drug tests, a “debate” with only one participant, and outreach by the candidates and their proxies to leaders in France, Germany, and the U.S. An actual debate between the two candidates is tentatively scheduled for April 19, two days before the vote.
RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service and Current Time TV have provided tireless, live, and on the spot coverage for audiences in Ukraine and throughout the region, with the Ukrainian Service’s Schemes investigative unit airing several investigations into election-related corruption allegations. Kyiv-based correspondent Christopher Miller has also been following the candidates, the campaign, and related topics.
As the vote approaches, RFE/RL has also reported on three of its reporters in Donbas and the forcibly-annexed Crimean peninsula who have been sidelined and silenced by Russia-backed authorities there.
Bookmark RFE/RL’s Ukraine Live Blog for the latest developments.
Contact RFE/RL journalists for election-related updates and insight:
- Christopher Miller, Senior Correspondent (in Kyiv; English, Russian)
millerjchristopher@gmail.com; Twitter: @ChristopherJM, @RFERL - Natalia Sedletska, Investigative Journalist and Host, "Schemes. Corruption in Details" (in Kyiv; Ukrainian, English, Russian)
SedletskaN@rferl.org; Twitter: @natasedletska, @cxemu - Maryana Drach, RFE/RL Ukrainian Service Director (in Kyiv; Ukrainian, English, Russian)
DrachM@rferl.org; Twitter: @MaryanaDrach1, @radiosvoboda - Anastasia Magazova, Regional Fellow and Co-Author, “Elections on the Front Lines” (in Luhansk; Ukrainian, Russian, English)
MagazovaA-FELLOW@rferl.org; Facebook: anastasiamaga
To schedule an interview with any of RFE/RL's experts, contact Martins Zvaners in Washington (zvanersm@rferl.org; +1.202.457.6948), or Joanna Levison in Prague (levisonj@rferl.org; +420.221.122.080).