Plummeting polls and a cloud of corruption: the troubles of the 'Ukrainian Churchill'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is suffering from a drop in polls and corruption scandals involving his associates. Polls show he would lose a second round to former Chief of Staff Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, who receives 66% support versus 33% for Zelensky. The Ukrainian public is tired of the current leadership and wants new leaders from among the military and volunteers.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, once dubbed the 'Ukrainian Churchill' for his charismatic appearances after the Russian invasion, is suffering from a sustained drop in polls and corruption scandals involving his associates. According to a poll by the Rating Institute, if elections were held now, Zelensky would advance to a second round from first place but lose to any of the main candidates. Former Chief of Staff Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, who was dismissed by the president and sent to the embassy in Germany, receives 66% support versus 33% for Zelensky. Intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov and dismissed Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov are also more popular than him. A KMIS poll shows that 58% of the public trust Zelensky compared to 66% for Zaluzhnyi. Corruption scandals have damaged his standing: his deputy chief of staff Iryna Mudra is under investigation for alleged money laundering totaling 150 million hryvnias, and former head of the presidential office Andriy Yermak was arrested on suspicion of corruption. KMIS director Anton Hrushetsky explains that the public is tired of the current leadership and wants new leaders from among the military, volunteers, and local government officials. Fedorov, who was fired amid disputes, issued a statement calling for elections even during wartime and attacked the 'old system' that fears change.