For most of his presidency and especially since Russia launched its full-scale war, Ukrainian voters have rallied around Volodymyr Zelensky as a pillar of national resilience and unity. That’s for good reason: He has been an effective wartime leader and helped mobilize the democratic world on Ukraine’s behalf.
But now, after more than seven years in office, four and a half years of war with Russia, and a series of scandals involving his leadership team and close friends, Zelensky appears to have lost the nation’s political support. Indeed, polling published in early August points to a major mood swing among Ukrainians, suggesting that many of them have lost faith in Zelensky and would vote him out of office at the earliest opportunity.
This swing in sentiment is likely to gain further momentum amid a new scandal involving the president’s key staff. Regrettably, Zelensky has spoken little of the alleged misdeeds of those in his inner circle. He highlights that he is not the subject of any investigations by anti-corruption agencies—a deceptive claim, since the Ukrainian Constitution bars such institutions from investigating or bringing criminal charges against a sitting president.
This lack of moral compass is all the more shocking given the extravagant promises that Zelensky made during his electoral campaign in 2019, when he guaranteed prosecutions and convictions of corrupt officials within months of taking office. Yet more than a dozen members of his party’s legislature, numerous government ministers, and members of his presidential office have been implicated or charged with corruption and illegal enrichment.
