Poll: Ukrainians trust military over politicians.

An overwhelming majority of Ukrainians -- 93% -- trust Ukraine's Armed Forces, while 68% distrust political parties, according to survey results published[1] by the Razumkov Center on July 26. The Armed Forces were the most trusted group[2] among respondents, followed by volunteer units (87% said they trust them), volunteer organizations (83%), and the State Emergency Service (81%). Respondents expressed distrust for Ukraine's judicial and political institutions.

70% of respondents said they do not trust the courts, while 68% distrust political parties and 56% distrust the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament. The exception to the widespread distrust was the President of Ukraine, with 80% of respondents reporting that they trusted President Volodymyr Zelensky. Over half of respondents (51%) said that a political force that can be trusted to wield power in the postwar period could arise from the military, whereas 26% said they believe it can emerge from political parties.

Respondents were also asked whether they believed events in Ukraine were "developing in the right direction" or not. According to the survey, 52% believe Ukraine is headed in the right direction, while 27% say events are developing in the wrong direction. Regarding the challenges Ukraine faces, 43% of those surveyed said they believe Ukraine can overcome these difficulties in the next few years.

A similar percentage (42%) said they believe Ukraine can overcome its problems in the long term. Only 6% said they do not think Ukraine can surmount its current difficulties. The Razumkov Center is a public policy think tank based in Kyiv.

For this questionnaire, sociologists interviewed over 2,000 adults in 22 oblasts, excluding Russian-occupied territories in Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, and Kherson.

As more soldiers go missing, desperate families left in limbo Sixteen months have passed since Halyna Nikiforova's husband went missing on Ukraine's eastern front line. But the 40-year-old Sloviansk native still texts him daily stories about their children. "They were everything to him," Nikiforova said of their 13 and 15-year-old sons. "They...

News Editor

Abbey Fenbert is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent.

She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University.

Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.

References

1. ^ published (razumkov.org.ua)
2. ^ most trusted group (kyivindependent.com)
3. ^ As more soldiers go missing, desperate families left in limboSixteen months have passed since Halyna Nikiforova's husband went missing on Ukraine's eastern front line.

   But the 40-year-old Sloviansk native still texts him daily stories about their children. "They were everything to him," Nikiforova said of their 13 and 15-year-old sons. "They... (kyivindependent.com)