News Feed

Poll: Majority of Ukrainians would disapprove of Zaluzhnyi's resignation

1 min read
Poll: Majority of Ukrainians would disapprove of Zaluzhnyi's resignation
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shakes the hand of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhny during the official celebration of Ukrainian Independence Day on Aug. 24, 2023 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Alexey Furman/Getty Images)

An overwhelming majority (72%) of Ukrainians would disapprove of the resignation of Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi, and only 8% believe that there are serious disagreements between him and President Volodymyr Zelensky, a poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) released on Dec. 20 found.

Earlier, reports surfaced in Western and Ukrainian media about supposed disagreements between Zelensky and Zaluzhnyi, which have received much public attention following Zaluzhnyi's interview on the state of the war for The Economist.

The poll found that Zaluzhnyi is the most trusted military leader at 92%, followed by the head of Ukraine's military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, at 60%.

When asked about the supposed disagreement between Zaluzhnyi and Zelensky, 8% believed it was serious, 35% said it was not that serious, and 39% believed there was little to no disagreement.

Anton Hrushetskyi, the executive director of KIIS, said that the results of the poll demonstrated that there is still a relatively high level of trust in the top military and political leaders and that Ukrainians have not really listened to rumors about the supposed rift between Zaluzhnyi and Zelensky.  

He added that an attempt to remove Zaluzhnyi would likely cause a backlash.

Are Zelensky and his top general really in discord?
Editor’s Note: This story initially mistakenly said that President Volodymyr Zelensky and Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi haven’t been seen together in public in two months. It was corrected since the two were seen together in public more recently. After successfully taking Ukraine through the…
Article image
Avatar
Nate Ostiller

News Editor

Nate Ostiller is a former News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. He works on special projects as a researcher and writer for The Red Line Podcast, covering Eastern Europe and Eurasia, and focused primarily on digital misinformation, memory politics, and ethnic conflict. Nate has a Master’s degree in Russian and Eurasian Studies from the University of Glasgow, and spent two years studying abroad at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Ukraine. Originally from the USA, he is currently based in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Read more
News Feed

The World Bank will provide $200 million over the next five years to prepare Ukrainian projects for large-scale reconstruction, the Economy Ministry announced on July 11. The funding will be available under the five-year PREPARE program with the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA).

Video

Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, war has become a daily reality for thousands of Ukrainian children. Some Ukrainian military units, such as the Azov Brigade, offer boot camps for teenagers to teach them the basics of self-defense, first aid, dry firing, and other survival skills — helping them prepare for both the realities of today and the uncertainties of the future.

Show More