Former military chief Zaluzhnyi enjoys higher trust, but Zelenskyy would win first round of presidential vote – survey

KATERYNA TYSHCHENKO - 31 August, 17:01

Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Valerii Zaluzhnyi. Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine

A new poll has found that the level of trust in Valerii Zaluzhnyi, former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, is higher than in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but in a presidential election, about 35% of respondents would vote for Zelenskyy and about 25% for Zaluzhnyi.

Source: a survey by the Rating sociological group conducted on 21-23 August 2025

Details: Trust in Zaluzhnyi stands at 74%, compared with 68% for Zelenskyy and 59% for Ukraine’s intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov.

Meanwhile, were a presidential election to be held, Zelenskyy would receive the greatest support (35.2% among all respondents), while Zaluzhnyi would come second (25.3%).

The chart shows that since July 2025, Zelenskyy’s rating has risen from 30.7% to 35.2%, while Zaluzhnyi’s has edged up from 24.8% to 25.3%.

In parliamentary elections, a hypothetical Zaluzhnyi Party would come first with 23.7%, followed by a hypothetical Zelenskyy Bloc at 19.7%. They would be trailed by European Solidarity (7.4%), the hypothetical Budanov Party (6.4%), and the Azov Party (5.9%).

Compared with July, the rating of the Zelenskyy Bloc has increased from 14.3% to 19.7%, and that of the Zaluzhnyi Party from 21.8% to 23.7%.

For reference: The survey was conducted on 21-23 August 2025 using the CATI method (computer-assisted telephone interviews) based on a random sample of mobile phone numbers. A total of 1,600 respondents aged 18 and over were interviewed in all oblasts, except the temporarily occupied territories of Crimea and Donbas, as well as territories where, at the time of the survey, Ukrainian mobile communication was unavailable. The sample is representative by age, sex and type of settlement (margin of error no more than 2.5% with a 0.95 confidence level).

Background: A survey by the Rating sociological group conducted on 22-27 July, showed that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would receive the highest number of votes in the next presidential election, while a hypothetical "Zaluzhnyi Party" would attract the most support in a parliamentary vote.

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