No more pensions

No passports for draft-dodgers, partisans, polls and Poles

Polls and passports

The Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) conducted a poll in late May dedicated to the 5-year mark of Zelensky’s presidency. The results came out on June 5. 50% of Ukrainians think Zelensky either hasn’t fulfilled any of his election promises, or only part of his promises. Naturally, eastern Ukrainians were more likely to be negative towards Zelensky - 69% answered that Zelensky hadn’t fulfilled any of his promises, or only some of them.

41% blame Zelensky himself for that. Of them, 27% put the blame on his lack of experience and competence, and 14% on corruption. The most common explanation (50%), was ‘the existence of dishonest, corrupt people in Zelensky’s entourage’.

Another KIIS poll came out on June 4, about the economy and democracy under Zelensky. 43% answered that democracy has worsened the past 5 years. 29% said the situation hasn’t changed, and 19% observed improvements (wartime polls are truly wonderful). Of the 43% who saw democratic backsliding, 28% blamed it on the government, and 11% on the war. About the same answers were given regarding the economy, though 49% said it had worsened.

On June 3, parliamentarian and security official Mariana Bezuhla called on Ukrainians abroad to ‘give up their passports’ if they don’t wish to go through military checks. When asked by the interviewer whether she was ready to give up on the 11 million Ukrainians living abroad, she answered - ‘Are they really ours? They made their choice.’

According to a May poll conducted by the USAID-funded International Republican Institute, 89% thought that the parliament should concern itself mainly with how to end the war, along with helping the army.

Luckily, the parliament is concerned with just such important matters, and on June 4 passed a law making English one of the national languages for communication in Ukraine. Mastery of English is now necessary for the following positions: