Zelensky's trust rating drops to 58% after anti-corruption agencies scandal, poll shows
Ukrainians' trust in President Volodymyr Zelensky has declined from 65% in June to 58% in early August, according to a new poll released by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) on Aug. 6.
The survey began on July 23, one day after Zelensky signed a controversial law subordinating Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies to the prosecutor general.
The bill sparked mass protests, international criticism, and accusations that the president's government was undermining post-EuroMaidan reforms.
In response to mounting public pressure and warnings from Brussels, Zelensky reversed course, signing new legislation on July 31 that restored the independence of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO).
Despite the reversal, the scandal appears to have damaged the president’s approval. The share of Ukrainians who do not trust Zelensky grew from 30% in June to 35% in August, bringing the overall trust balance down from +35% to +23%, according to KIIS.
The institute noted that trust in Zelensky remains above the lowest levels recorded during the full-scale war, which occurred in December 2024.
Pollsters asked respondents who expressed distrust to explain their reasoning. The most common responses cited dissatisfaction with the state of corruption, mainly systemic corruption rather than personal accusations against Zelensky.
Some 6% directly blamed the July 22 vote for their loss of trust.
The president's support briefly surged to 74% in May after Ukraine signed a minerals agreement with the United States, viewed as a diplomatic win, but the bump quickly faded.
The poll was conducted between July 23 and Aug. 4 through telephone interviews with 1,022 adults in Ukrainian-controlled territory.
The newly signed anti-corruption law, passed with unanimous support in a rare livestreamed parliamentary session, officially entered into force on Aug. 1.
It reversed the legislation signed just nine days earlier, which critics said would have placed NABU and SAPO under political control.
Both institutions were created as part of a broader reform agenda after the 2014 EuroMaidan Revolution and are key conditions for continued support from the EU and IMF.
