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[SITUATION] · [QUIET] · [POLITICS]

6 clusters · 47 sources · 59 days · First seen 3 months ago · Last updated 24 days ago

Ukraine presidential candidacy – July-Aug 2026 polls

Overview

In early July, former army chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi, now ambassador to the United Kingdom, met President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv. Zelensky raised the possibility of an autumn presidential election and asked Zaluzhnyi if he would run; Zaluzhnyi said he would, citing a duty to the public. Subsequent polls showed a rapid erosion of confidence in Zelensky and a surge in public trust for senior security figures. A Rating Group poll (20–21 July) placed Zaluzhnyi at the top with a 70% trust rating, ahead of former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov (65%) and intelligence chief Kirill Budanov (62%). A Socis poll (28 July–2 August) confirmed Zelensky’s slip to sixth place in public trust, with 37% of respondents expressing no trust at all and only 18% expressing full trust. Zaluzhnyi maintained the highest trust levels (37.1% full, 27.8% partial), followed by Fedorov, drone-forces commander Robert Browdy, army chief Mykhailo Drapatyi, and presidential chief Kirill Budanov. The survey indicated 69.5% support for EU accession and over 60% for NATO membership, while 55.6% believed the country is heading in the wrong direction. A subsequent Socis poll indicated that if presidential elections were held immediately, Zelenskyy would likely secure only 22.3% of the vote in the first round. Modeling for a hypothetical second-round runoff suggests Zelenskyy would lose to several figures, including Zaluzhnyi, Budanov, and Fedorov. By late August, polling from the Institute of Sociology in Kyiv showed Zelenskyy’s trust rating at 56%, a significant decline from the 90% recorded following the 2022 invasion. He now ranks fourth among trusted officials, trailing Zaluzhnyi (66%) and Fedorov (63%). Critics have accused the administration of prioritizing loyalty over expertise following a costly 2023 counteroffensive. Meanwhile, thousands have demonstrated in Kyiv and other cities demanding the reinstatement of Fedorov as Defense Minister.

Entities

Volodymyr Zelenskyy · Mykhailo Fedorov · Ukraine · Valerii Zaluzhnyi · Kyrylo Budanov

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 8 SOURCES] SOCIS surveyed 2,000 Ukrainians from 28 July to 2 August 2026, excluding occupied territories, with a margin of error of ±2.6 %.
[● 8 SOURCES] President Volodymyr Zelensky ranked sixth in trust with 18 % full trust, 24.5 % partial trust, 17 % little trust and 37 % no trust.
[● 8 SOURCES] Former army chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi leads trust with 37.1 % full trust and 27.8 % partial trust.
[● 8 SOURCES] Former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov placed second with 26.8 % full trust and 37.8 % partial trust.
[● 8 SOURCES] Drone‑forces commander Robert Browdy ranked third in the trust poll.
[○ 1 SOURCE] 69.5 % of respondents would vote for Ukraine’s EU accession in a referendum.
[○ 1 SOURCE] More than 60 % of respondents support NATO membership for Ukraine.
[○ 1 SOURCE] 55.6 % of respondents think Ukraine is heading in the wrong direction.

Timeline

24 days ago

[INTERNATIONAL] 3 sources
Zelenskyy ranks below top two in Ukrainian approval polls
Polls suggest President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is neither first nor second in terms of approval ratings and trust among Ukrainians.
about 1 month ago

[POLITICS] 2 sources
Volodymyr Zelenskyy faces declining popularity in Ukraine
New polling shows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's trust rating has fallen to 56 percent, trailing behind Valerii Zaluzhnyi and Mykhailo Fedorov amid domestic protests.
about 1 month ago

[POLITICS] 4 sources
Volodymyr Zelenskyy faces declining trust and potential election losses in new poll
A Socis poll reveals declining trust in President Zelenskyy, suggesting he would lose a hypothetical second-round presidential runoff to rivals like Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Kyrylo Budanov, or Mykhailo Fedorov.
about 2 months ago

[POLITICS] 12 sources
Ukraine poll shows President Zelensky falls to sixth place in public trust
A Socis poll of 2,000 Ukrainians ranks President Zelensky sixth in trust, behind former army chief Zaluzhnyi, with 69.5% favoring EU entry and over 60% backing NATO.
2 months ago

[POLITICS] 12 sources
Former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov tops Ukrainian trust poll, overtaking President Zelensky
A July poll shows former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov leading Ukraine's trust rankings at 65 %, overtaking President Zelensky (59 %) amid protests over his dismissal.
3 months ago

[POLITICS] 16 sources
Former Ukrainian commander Valerii Zaluzhnyi says he will run for president
Former army chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi, now Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK, told President Zelensky he will run in a possible autumn presidential election, despite attempts to persuade him otherwise.

Sources

abcnews.al · adevarul.ro · atvlive.tv · augsburger-allgemeine.de · baoquocte.vn · bliss.natemat.pl · brasil247.com · cash.ch · clubz.bg · danas.rs · de.rt.com · de.sapo.pt · dorzeczy.pl · Echo24.cz · efakt.pl · euronews.net · extra.cz · femina1912.fr · foci.444.hu · freerepublic.com · hotnews.ro · kirandulo.reblog.hu · kurierverlag.de · kurir.rs · leinetal24.de · lettera43.it · makemusic.smpb.ch · mannheim24.de · moldova1.md · news.yam.md · opserver.mk · polsatnews.pl · radiomoldova.md · radiostudio90italia.it · realitatea.md · romaniatv.net · sarajevo-x.com · standartnews.com · tocka.com.mk · upday.com · vecer.mk · vesnik.com · voceabasarabiei.md · vreme.mk · wiadomosci.gazeta.pl · wiadomosci.wp.pl · zurnal.mk

This summary has been updated 4 times: see revision history