Zelensky unchained: What Ukraine's new political order means for its future | ECFR - Sept. 25, 2019 |

Like many populists, Zelensky came to power by demonising his predecessor; indeed, he appears determined to overturn almost every aspect of the old regime. He is both the latest and, in many ways, the most radical example of an insurgent outsider who has won power. His successes entitle him and his movement to comparisons with Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron's La République En Marche! Some have even likened his Servant of the People party to the Bolsheviks.

Zelensky defies easy analogies: he is a specifically Ukrainian phenomenon. This paper examines the origins and significance of Zelensky's meteoric rise, considers his prospects for transcending Ukrainian politics as normal, and sets out recommendations for Western partners of Ukraine to follow as they support the country in the next stage of its eventful post-independence journey.

Ready for a reset

Ukrainian presidents always lose power at the end of their first term - and Zelensky's predecessor, Petro Poroshenko, was no exception. Zelensky is the sixth Ukrainian president since independence in 1991. Only one has won re-election - Leonid Kuchma in 1999 - but he did not do so by free and fair means. Support for every president of Ukraine has declined at similar rates during the course of their term.

Map of the results by electoral districts - 2019

But the mood around this year's presidential election portended change even more strongly than at previous polls. Seventy percent of Ukrainians thought the country was heading in the wrong direction, and only 16 percent the right direction. Attitudes towards political institutions were extraordinarily negative: only 16 percent of Ukrainians trusted the president and 70 percent did not, giving Poroshenko a trust rating of minus 54 percent. Trust in the government was even lower, at minus 63 percent - and hit minus 72 percent for the Rada, Ukraine's parliament.

Zelensky's top aide survives after gunmen open fire on his car | France24 - Sept 22, 2021 |

President of Ukraine on the attack on Serhiy Shefir's car: They will not intimidate us

'Sapere aude'