Chief of staff Budanov's approval rating is twice as high as his predecessor Yermak's was

A survey has found that 68% of Ukrainians approve of the performance of Kyrylo Budanov, the current head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, whereas only 32% of respondents approved of his predecessor, Andrii Yermak.

Source: a report on the findings of a poll conducted by the Rating Group from 30 May to 3 June 2026

Details: The research compared approval ratings for the head of the President's Office in June 2026 with those from September 2024.

This year, 68% of respondents said they approve or somewhat approve of current head Kyrylo Budanov's performance.

In 2024, when the Office was headed by Andrii Yermak, only 32% of Ukrainians approved of him. In May, Yermak was served with a notice of suspicion in a case concerning the alleged laundering of UAH 460 million (around US$10.5 million) through a high-end construction project on the outskirts of Kyiv.

This means that the approval rating of the head of the President's Office has increased at least twofold since Budanov, the former head of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, took over.

For reference: The poll was conducted by the Rating Group for the Center for Insights in Survey Research (CISR) at the International Republican Institute (IRI).

The survey was conducted from 30 May to 3 June 2026 using CATI (computer-assisted telephone interviews). The sample size was 2,404 respondents aged 18 and older.

The poll was conducted in all oblasts of Ukraine except temporarily occupied territories and areas where Ukrainian mobile coverage was unavailable at the time of the survey.

The margin of error is about 2% with a confidence level of 0.95.

Your support on Patreon helps us keep the news free and accessible.