Fall in support

Every second Ukrainian has confidence in Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in his New Year's address(Bild: AFP (Screenshot))

Almost three years after the start of the war in Ukraine, support for President Volodymyr Zelensky has fallen significantly. According to a survey, around one in two people in Ukraine trust their president. In March 2022, it was still nine out of ten respondents.

Since the start of the war in February 2022, approval ratings have fallen continuously. At the end of 2023, 77% of Ukrainians surveyed still trusted their president. At the end of June 2024, less than six out of ten respondents said the same.

In the most recent telephone survey conducted by the Kyiv Institute of Sociology (KIIS), 52% said they trusted Volodymyr Zelensky. In contrast, 39 percent distrust him. In March 2002, the figure was only seven percent. This proportion has therefore risen significantly.

Fighting as an influencing factor?
According to KIIS, approval is higher in the west and center of the country than in the east and south of Ukraine, where the fighting is fiercest and the army has recently had to surrender more and more land to the advancing Russian troops. With the imminent change of president in the USA, the continued support of the most important ally to date is also questionable.

Selensky took office in 2019. His term of office actually ended last month. However, he remains president due to the current martial law. The Ukrainian authorities announced that there would be no election for the time being. A fifth of the country is currently under Russian control.