Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 “has substantially increased Zelenskiy’s approval rating,” according to a new release from the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology.

The findings underline how wartime dynamics can consolidate support around incumbent leaders, particularly when public sentiment hardens in response to external aggression. In Ukraine’s case, the rallying effect has been closely tied to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s visibility as commander-in-chief and his role in mobilising international backing, while domestic opinion has been shaped by security concerns and the continuity of government services amid conflict.

Recently, Zelenskiy has been accused adopting increasingly authoritarian methods and saw his popularity fall below that of former commander-in-chief General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, who is now ambassador to the UK. Zelenskiy also took a hit by pushing through Law 12414 on July 22 that guts Ukraine’s anticorruption reforms. The law immediately led to the first anti-government protests since the war began over three years ago.

However, his resolute resistance to Russia’s escalating missile attacks and the roasting he got from US President Donald Trump at notorious press conference in the White House has gone some way to rehabilitate the president as his people rallied around in the face of adversity. Since then we has retaken the lead in the polls over Zaluzhnyi.

Zelenskiy’s five year term in office expired in May, but under the Ukrainian constitutions, elections cannot be held while the country is under martial law.