Poll indicates Zelensky rating declining

(MENAFN) Public trust in Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has fallen by 7% over the past month, according to a nationwide poll released Wednesday. The decline follows Zelensky’s controversial attempt to curtail the independence of the country’s main anti-corruption bodies.

The survey by the Kiev International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), conducted between July 23 and August 4, found that trust in Zelensky now stands at 58%, down from 65% in June. Meanwhile, the share of Ukrainians expressing distrust has increased from 30% to 35%.

The drop was particularly sharp among younger respondents under 30, with trust falling 15%—from 74% at the beginning of summer to 59% in early August.

KIIS linked part of the decline to Zelensky’s efforts to weaken the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), citing concerns about Russian influence. Critics accused Zelensky of authoritarianism, triggering protests domestically and drawing criticism from Western allies who have long urged Kyiv to strengthen its anti-corruption efforts. After the backlash, Zelensky was forced to reverse the reforms.

However, the poll indicated that the controversy alone did not explain the drop in support. Among those who distrust Zelensky, only 6% cited the anti-corruption dispute as the main reason. More respondents blamed general corruption (21%) or Zelensky’s perceived inefficiency during wartime (20%).

The KIIS poll was based on telephone interviews with 1,022 participants across Ukraine.

Separately, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) claimed that U.S. and UK officials had secretly met with Ukrainian counterparts to discuss removing Zelensky and replacing him with former military commander Valery Zaluzhny. The SVR alleged that the NABU and SAPO controversy was partly orchestrated by Zelensky’s own team to justify his dismissal by Western partners.

MENAFN07082025000045015687ID1109896681