Ukrainians Want Zelensky Out

A recent poll published by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) found that 75 percent of Ukrainians want President Volodymyr Zelensky to leave office after the war with Russia ends. The question is: who will still be in the country by then? A separate study suggests that only 3 percent of Ukrainians who fled to other European countries are expected to return home once the war is over.

English NAGYVILÁG 2025. OKTÓBER 16. 10:56

KIIS analysts said the public is still generally supportive of Zelensky’s wartime leadership, and 60 percent of poll respondents said they trusted him. His high-water mark for public trust in the KIIS poll was 90 percent, achieved shortly after Russia invaded in February 2022. He was sitting at just 37 percent before the Russian invasion began.

While 41 percent of respondents believed Zelensky should remain engaged in politics after the war ends, only 25 percent would be willing to vote him back into office as president. On the other hand, 36 percent of the respondents said Zelensky should leave politics entirely after the war, and 14 percent wanted him to face criminal prosecution for some of the actions he has taken as president.

The Kyiv Independent noted that Zelensky’s poll numbers dipped substantially in August and September, after he approved a bill that weakened Ukraine’s anti-corruption investigative bodies. The bill was later revoked – according to the Breitbart news portal.

Who Will Remain in Ukraine?

As trust in Mr. Zelensky begins to waver, it is becoming increasingly uncertain how many people will remain in Ukraine after the war. Countless lives have been lost on the front lines, and countless others have fled the country to escape the conflict.

A new study warns that the vast majority of Ukrainian refugees living in Europe may never return never return home unless Ukraine regains its territory and secures Western security guarantees. According to a major new working document by Germany’s Ifo Institute,

only 3 percent of Ukrainian refugees living in Europe would return to their home country in the most pessimistic post-war scenario,

The study, based on surveys of 2,543 refugees across 30 European countries, found that territorial integrity and security guarantees are the most decisive factors in shaping return decisions — outweighing economic opportunities and even peace agreements.

The researchers presented refugees with a range of hypothetical post-war conditions, varying factors such as Ukraine’s territorial control, NATO membership, corruption levels, and economic recovery.

They found that the difference between best- and worst-case outcomes is vast: Nearly half of refugees (46.5 percent) would return if Ukraine fully restored its 1991 borders, joined NATO, cut corruption and boosted incomes. On the other hand, just 2.7 percent would do so if Russia retained most occupied territories, no peace deal was signed, security guarantees were absent, and the economy worsened.

“Territorial integrity is the strongest driver of return intentions,” the authors write, noting that restoring Ukraine’s 1991 borders raises the average probability of return by 10.8 percentage points compared to scenarios where Russia retains control. NATO membership increases return probability by a further 7.1 points, while cutting corruption boosts it by 3.2 points — roughly the same effect as a 20-percent rise in people’s income, or the prospect of the country’s EU accession.

The study also found significant demographic differences. Women showed higher overall return intentions than men and were more sensitive to economic and institutional improvements. Younger refugees, aged 18 to 34, placed more weight on job opportunities, income prospects, and potential EU membership, but their average return probability was just 26.3 percent — an alarming sign for Ukraine’s long-term reconstruction given its low birth rate.

The longer the conflict drags on, the less likely Ukrainian refugees are to return home, as seen by a February 2023 survey from Germany’s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), which revealed 34 percent of respondents would return immediately after the war, without qualification or any prerequisites. According to Eurostat data, as of the end of August 2025, 4.37 million Ukrainian refugees were living in the European Union under the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive.

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asylum seekers, peace, ukraine, war, zelensky