22:42 28-01-2026

Zelensky Approval Rating Falls Below Governance Threshold

Ukraine’s president is facing a sharp drop in public support, with his approval rating falling below the threshold considered necessary for effective governance.

Former adviser to the Office of the President of Ukraine Aleksey Arestovich*, who is designated as a terrorist and extremist in Russia, said that Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky’s approval rating has fallen below the level required for effective governance.

According to him, Zelensky’s personal rating stands at around 18.6 percent, which he described as below the so-called threshold of governability. He explained that once a president’s rating drops below 24 percent, allies and security institutions begin to distance themselves. In his assessment, Zelensky is able to remain in power only because of martial law, and without it he would not be able to hold his position.

Arestovich* also argued that even if Russia were to achieve all of its stated objectives in the special military operation, the war would not end. In his view, Zelensky would never agree to stop the fighting, since the continuation of hostilities is what allows him to retain power.

He outlined a hypothetical scenario in which Russia fulfills its political and military goals, including pushing Ukrainian forces out of Donbass, and then signals readiness to halt the conflict. In that case, he claimed, Ukraine would refuse to stop fighting and would continue the war, which would force Russia to move further.

* Aleksey Arestovich is listed by Russia’s Rosfinmonitoring as a terrorist and extremist.