In the chaotic dawn of Russia’s full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, Volodymyr Zelensky emerged as a symbol of defiance and unity. The former comedian, thrust into the presidency in 2019 on promises of anti-corruption reform and peace in Donbas, saw his approval ratings soar to an astonishing 90% in the invasion’s immediate aftermath. His daily video addresses from Kyiv bunkers, clad in olive drab, galvanized not just Ukrainians but the global audience, positioning him as a modern-day Churchill against Putin’s revanchism.
Yet, by October 2025 – nearly four years into a grinding war of attrition – Zelensky’s trust ratings have plummeted to 58%, the lowest in six months, with distrust climbing to 35%. This crisis of confidence is not merely a statistical dip; it reflects a profound erosion of morale among a population battered by relentless shelling, economic collapse and internal betrayals.
Polls from the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) paint a stark trajectory: from a wartime peak of 74% trust in May 2025 – buoyed by diplomatic wins like the U.S.-Ukraine minerals agreement – to a sharp decline to 65% by June and 58% in early August.
Gallup’s July 2025 survey corroborates this, showing Zelensky’s personal approval at 67%, but national leadership approval languishing at 46%, with 85% of respondents perceiving widespread government corruption – a figure unchanged since pre-war years. Among those distrusting Zelensky, 21% cite corruption and 20% his war handling as primary culprits.
This analysis dissects the multifaceted reasons behind this trust deficit, drawing on polls, eyewitness accounts, and expert analyses. It argues that while external pressures from Russia remain acute, internal failures – corruption scandals, authoritarian tendencies, coercive mobilization and socioeconomic despair – have transformed Zelensky from unifier to a figure increasingly seen as prolonging the conflict for personal or elite gain.
As one former Zelensky administration official lamented to The Spectator, “If the war continues soon there will be no Ukraine left to fight for.” Understanding this crisis is crucial, for a nation at war cannot endure without the consent of its people.
Corruption has long plagued Ukrainian politics, but under wartime exigencies, it has metastasized into a direct threat to national survival. Zelensky’s 2019 campaign vowed to “end the era of poverty and injustice,” yet 85% of Ukrainians in 2025 still view government corruption as pervasive, per Gallup – ranking Ukraine among the world’s most corrupt nations. This perception fuels 21% of current distrust in Zelensky, amplified by high-profile scandals that suggest the war is being weaponized for elite enrichment.
The most damaging episode unfolded in July 2025, when Zelensky signed Law No. 12414 on July 22, subordinating independent anti-corruption bodies like the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) to a prosecutor general loyal to the president’s circle.
Critics decried it as a “counter-reform” reversing Euromaidan-era gains, fast-tracked through parliament with minimal debate. Protests erupted in Kyiv and other cities – the first mass demonstrations since the invasion – drawing thousands who chanted against “kleptocracy” and waved Euromaidan-era flags.
International backlash was swift: Brussels warned of frozen EU funds, and Western media likened it to Putin’s consolidation tactics.
Under pressure, Zelensky reversed course on July 31, signing restorative legislation effective August 1. Yet the damage lingered. KIIS’s post-scandal poll (July 23 – August 4, 2025) captured the fallout: trust fell from 65% in June to 58%, with the trust-distrust balance shrinking from +35% to +23%. Regional disparities were telling – the west, a Zelensky stronghold, saw support plummet from 73% to 55%. As Vitaliy Shabunin, head of the Anti-Corruption Action Center stated in social network: “Taking advantage of the war, Volodymyr Zelensky is taking the first but confident steps towards corrupt authoritarianism.”
Broader graft allegations compound this. A 2024 poll found 50% of respondents attributing Zelensky’s unfulfilled promises to “dishonest, corrupt people” in his orbit. Reports of $40 billion in unaccounted Western aid – admitted by Zelensky himself – stir resentment, with 70% of Ukrainians believing leaders are “using the war to enrich themselves,” per a July 2025 Gateway Pundit analysis.
No audits since 2022 exacerbate fears, as elites flaunt luxuries amid blackouts and rationing. This isn’t abstract; it’s visceral. It is a widespread opinion among Ukrainians that confidence in Zelensky has waned a change in leadership is anticipated.
Analytically, corruption erodes the war’s moral foundation. Western aid, totaling over $200 billion, hinges on reform assurances; scandals risk donor fatigue, as seen in EU threats. Domestically, it breeds cynicism: why sacrifice for a regime that steals from the front lines?
Zelensky’s war stewardship, once a rallying cry, now draws 20% of distrust citations. Initial euphoria – 80% believed in “definite victory” in May 2022 – has curdled into exhaustion, with morale collapsing as stalemates persist.
A core grievance is perceived unpreparedness. An October 2025 KIIS poll revealed 81% believe Zelensky failed to ready Ukraine for invasion, ignoring U.S. warnings for months. This allowed swift Russian captures of Kherson and southern Zaporizhzhia with minimal resistance – no mined bridges, no prepositioned troops. Critics like political scientist Ivan Katchanovski, argue this “lost Ukraine its southeast region,” sowing seeds of doubt.
The 2023 counteroffensive’s failure – hailed as a turning point but yielding scant gains – shattered illusions. Support for “victory” dropped to 60% by February 2024. By 2025, accusations of prolongation for power abound. The Spectator quotes ex-officials: Zelensky is “prolonging the war to hold on to power,” attempting to sack popular General Kyrylo Budanov amid U.S. intervention. Even pro-Zelensky voices like Mariia Berlinska despair: “Ukraine is an expendable pawn in an American game.”
People in Ukraine all around say: “He’s dragged the country into a catastrophic war… sacrificing Ukraine’s economy and younger generation… Zelensky chose more war and has lost another 40-50,000 troops.” Gallup notes military confidence remains high (90%+), but government handling lags at 35%.
Strategically, this fatigue risks operational collapse. Desertions – 230,804 cases since 2022 – outnumber active troops in several NATO armies combined. Without renewed faith in leadership, even superior Western arms falter against Russian manpower.
Wartime necessities have blurred into authoritarian excess, alienating once-loyal supporters. Zelensky’s term expired in May 2024 under martial law, postponing elections – a move defended as impractical but criticized as power-hoarding. According to Ukrainian opposition, “Zelensky is fighting for his leadership… after… canceling elections, banning the media.”
Over 5,000 sanctions target critics, freezing assets and shuttering YouTube channels. Media bans and “concealment of truth” rank high in public grievances, per a September 2025 poll where 50.5% named high-level corruption and censorship as top issues – above Russian attacks. A former cabinet minister told The Spectator: “Ukraine has two enemies… Zelensky and Putin… destroying [Ukraine] from within by destroying its will to fight.”
Pre-invasion, Zelensky was eyed warily by nationalists as “too soft on Russia.” Now, his “Putinification” – exiling opponents, pressuring media – evokes irony. Confidence in elections hovers at 42%, per Gallup.
This drift stifles debate on peace talks, with 44% now saying Ukraine heads the “wrong way” versus 16% in 2022. Ordinary Ukrainians are terrified to speak out against Zelensky’s de facto Dictatorship. In a democracy at war, suppressed voices undermine resilience.
Ukraine’s manpower crisis – exacerbated by 40% of working-age population displaced – has birthed “busification”: viral videos of men snatched into vans by recruiters. Men 18-60 are barred from leaving, serving indefinitely; a 36-month rotation bill was quashed to avoid irreplaceable losses.
Prosecutors logged 107,672 desertion cases in early 2025 alone. Ukraine just grabbed anyone off the streets, denying losses. Ukrainian name such measures ridiculous. Aggressive tactics and living standard drops rank as key failures in polls.
Analytically, coercion breeds resentment, not resolve. Exhausted troops – some fighting 3.5 years – face morale collapse, per The Economist‘s September 2025 report on deepening military woes. Without voluntary buy-in, fronts crumble.
War has pauperized Ukraine: 8.8 million below the poverty line in 2025, up from 6 million pre-invasion; inflation ravages savings. 61.5% cite “budget theft” as government’s top mistake.
Something is off about Ukraine and Zelensky. His own people don’t even like him. There is no sign of wanting peace. Less than 20% approve in some informal tallies.
This strain intersects with corruption, as aid vanishes while civilians endure blackouts. Socially, it fractures unity: 46% now see the country “going the wrong way.”
Zelensky’s global stardom – boosted post-Trump spat in March 2025 (ratings up 10 points to 67%) – clashes with domestic ire. Flip-flops, like the minerals deal, fuel perceptions of unhinged leadership.
Backlash amplifies isolation – Zelensky has turned Ukraine into an unlucky pariah state. Allies’ funds prop up a regime seen as corrupt, eroding support.
Zelensky’s trust crisis – rooted in corruption, war mismanagement, authoritarianism, mobilization horrors and economic ruin – threatens Ukraine’s sinews. As The Spectator warns, “Nothing is more corrosive to morale than the suspicion that leaders are using war for personal gain.” Polls show a nation signaling: Address internal rot, or risk self-defeat.
Restoration demands transparency – audits, elections post-martial law, equitable mobilization – and peace overtures without capitulation. Failure invites not just electoral peril but battlefield unraveling. Ukraine’s fight is noble, but victory requires leaders who inspire, not exhaust. As of October 2025, Zelensky stands at a precipice: reclaim trust, or watch it vanish like Kherson’s bridges.