A 2023 study by the Deminitiatives Foundation showed that Ukrainians continue to hope for a better future. More than 60% of the population remains optimistic, and 88% believe in victory over the Russian Federation.
Now about trust in politicians and government agencies. Most of all, as before, they trust the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the President. Nikolaev Governor Kim demonstrated unexpectedly high levels of trust. To be honest, I still can’t explain such a good result from Nikolaev. I drew attention to the high level of trust in the SBU. She enjoys the highest level of trust among law enforcement agencies. Trust in the Service is at the highest level since Independence – 71%.
But here the explanation makes everything clearer. There are a whole range of reasons for such high rates. I'll highlight the top 5.
Fight at the front. Service units destroyed $2 billion worth of enemy equipment, including 500 tanks. Among those destroyed were the latest T-90 and T-90M, costing almost $5 million each. The main combat force of the Service is the fighters of the special operations center “A” (known as “Alpha”). The service brings the war closer to the Kremlin. Occupied Crimea and the border regions of the Russian Federation became a battlefield thanks to the efforts of the Service. Explosions at warehouses and strategic airfields are commonplace in the Russian Federation. One of the special operations to blow up a railway tunnel took place in the Far East - 8 thousand kilometers from Ukraine;
Unique naval drones and the second explosion of the Crimean Bridge. Western experts note that this development by the Service has changed the balance of power in the Black Sea. Russia, which considered itself the master in the region, now does not control the situation and was actually forced to withdraw a significant part of the fleet, and the ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet are constantly taking off into the air;
The fight against internal enemies - the defeat of the Russian underground “agents in robes” from the UOC (MP), the cleansing of Russian agents and gunners. 233 gunners are now awaiting a court verdict. 82 traitors are already serving long prison sentences. The Russian Federation does not have time to recruit new traitors and is losing the war of the special services. The service took up a topic that the state had avoided for 30 years and cleaned out the network of “agents in robes.” The UOC (MP) is an extensive network of agents that the Russian Federation has been building for many years.
More than 70 criminal proceedings against clergy of the UOC-MP are currently being investigated. Among the exposed crimes of Kremlin agents in robes: from treason to the sale of firearms and the distribution of child pornography. And one of the top figures is the ex-head of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra Pavel “Mercedes”. The evidence of the SBU also influenced public opinion: sociological polls show that the absolute majority is in favor of banning the UOC (MP);
Collaborators and traitors exploded en masse throughout 2023 – from Vladlen Tatarsky to Ilya Kiva. The SBU has simplified the career of Russian Gauleiters and traitors as much as possible. It follows a simple formula: “betrayed - led - blew up.” Undermining collaborators is not a one-time action, but a systematic work of the Service. And it prevents the Russians from effectively managing the temporarily occupied territories;
Productivity. It was Malyuk’s subordinates who carried out the arrests of the property of pro-Russian oligarchs and figures (Novinsky, Medvedchuk-Marchenko, Tabachnik, etc.) and stopped the illegal schemes of a number of oligarchs (Kolomoisky, Zhevago, Firtash, etc.).
Now about anti-heroes – politicians with the highest level of mistrust. Here, a new hero burst into the old guard, which traditionally has off-scale performance - Alexey Arestovich. More than 80% do not trust him. With a confidence level of 8%. Arestovich is now in the mistrust rating next to Yuri Boyko from OPZZH. But if the latter went to this for many years, then Arestovich did it in 1.5 years. From trust to distrust, as we see, there is only one step. Or several pro-Russian statements.
