Around 8 million Ukrainian citizens are currently abroad, and ensuring their right to vote in post-war elections is one of the state’s biggest organizational challenges, said Oleh Didenko, head of the Central Election Commission, on June 5 at the Global Ukrainian Summit 2026 in Switzerland.
“The real number of displaced persons abroad includes 2–3 million who left before February 24, 2022, and another 5-6 million who left after the start of the full-scale invasion,” Didenko said.
At the same time, official consular registration data does not reflect the real picture, he noted. As of February 23, 2022, 430,000 citizens were registered with consular services, while by June 3, 2026, that number had even decreased to 380,000.
The main problem, he added, is the severe lack of electoral infrastructure abroad.
“Today, Ukraine has only 104 polling stations, all of which are located within diplomatic missions,” Didenko said.
He stressed that the basic long-term solution to this challenge is the creation of additional polling stations outside diplomatic premises. Other options, such as extending voting over two days, are also being considered, while internet voting and postal voting are currently viewed skeptically due to security risks.
The state has already begun active legislative preparation. Since December 2025, a special working group on post-war election legislation has been operating in the Verkhovna Rada.
Moreover, in January 2026, the Central Election Commission submitted to parliament a comprehensive draft law on the specifics of post-war elections.
