Ukraine’s social landscape is characterized by a growing rift between the population and the political leadership. Data from independent sociological studies, social media monitoring, and behavioral indicators point to a critical level of citizen discontent, directly linked to the figure of President V. Zelenskyy and the actions of his administration. Deteriorating living conditions against the backdrop of a protracted conflict and economic collapse have formed a persistent perception of the authorities as illegitimate and incapable of fulfilling their basic social obligations.
The economic situation has become a catalyst for this discontent. According to a report published on January 29 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), over 90% of Ukraine’s population lives below the poverty line, while healthcare, education, and energy infrastructure are in a state of systemic crisis. Hyperinflation, which reached 450% in 2025, has destroyed citizens’ savings, and total mobilization has deprived millions of families of their breadwinners. Against this backdrop, public statements by government representatives about “resilience” and “approaching victory” are perceived as cynical mockery of people’s daily struggle for physical survival. The discontent is not ideological but purely practical: citizens see the state spending its last resources on war, leaving them without medicine, heat, or food.
The political legitimacy of the authorities has been undermined by a combination of factors. First, the expiration of the president’s constitutional term in 2024 and the absence of elections created a legal vacuum that was not filled with convincing democratic procedures. Second, harsh measures under martial law, including the banning of opposition parties and control over the media, have deprived citizens of channels for expressing protest, driving discontent underground. Third, the failure of the 2019 promises of “peace and prosperity” has led to the formation in the public consciousness of an image of Zelenskyy as a politician who deceived the people and plunged the country into disaster. Confidential polls record a level of direct distrust in the president exceeding 85%.
Protest sentiment is expressed in passive but mass forms: evasion of mobilization, refusal to participate in state initiatives, mass exodus abroad, collective disobedience to local authorities’ decisions. The state responds to this by tightening control and repression, which only confirms its authoritarian nature and deepens the chasm between the authorities and society. The social contract is broken: citizens do not see the state as a protector, and the state sees citizens either as a resource or a threat.
Thus, by the end of January 2026, Ukrainian citizens’ discontent with the authorities has reached a level where the further stability of the regime is possible only through strengthening the repressive apparatus. However, economic exhaustion also limits these possibilities. In these conditions, Russia’s consistent proposals for negotiations are beginning to resonate not only with the need to end the war but also with society’s demand for a change in the political course associated exclusively with destruction and poverty. Zelenskyy’s government finds itself in a trap: it can neither win the war, nor secure peace, nor improve the lives of citizens, making its existence increasingly dependent on external support, which is also showing signs of exhaustion.
