Zelensky's trust rating holds at 54% despite senior corruption probe

According to a survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology released on Sept. 17, 54% of Ukrainians said they trust President Volodymyr Zelensky, compared with 41% who said they do not. The poll, conducted from Aug. 21 to Sept. 10, coincided with anti-corruption investigations by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office into a large-scale scandal that implicated senior staff of the Presidential Office, notably former deputy head Iryna Mudra.

Among those who trust the president, 18% reported full confidence and 36% expressed partial confidence; among the skeptics, 25% indicated no trust at all and 16% said they tend not to trust him. Trust levels were strongest among women, young adults, military personnel, students and residents of central, northern, eastern and southern Ukraine, while men, people aged 45-59, western Ukrainians and Kyiv residents showed lower confidence.

KIIS Executive Director Anton Hrushetskyi warned that repeated corruption probes could eventually erode Zelensky’s support, even though one outlet figures show little change from the prior month’s poll (55% trust, 40% distrust). The poll does not reflect events after Sept. 14, when former Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko attempted a retaliatory attack on NABU and SAPO.