Biggest problem for Ukrainians is war in Donbas, poll says

The biggest problem among Ukrainians is the ongoing
war in Donbas, according to a poll released on Oct. 20 by the Kyiv
International Institute of Sociology. About 63% of respondents identified the
war as among Ukraine’s top three problems, while 53% identified corruption and
43% said unemployment. The coronavirus pandemic ranked only eighth with 11% of
respondents naming it among Ukraine’s leading problems. The poll was conducted
between Oct. 8 and 15 among 1,009 respondents.

Zenon Zawada: It’s our
assessment that the Zelensky administration is incapable of solving any of
Ukraine’s three largest problems. So its public support will continue to fall
in the coming months, eroding Zelensky’s celebrity aura that has shielded him
from much criticism so far. And the country will grow increasingly divided
between the pro-Russian forces (led by Yuriy Boyko and Viktor Medvedchuk) and
the pro-Western forces (led by Petro Poroshenko). 

It’s remarkable that the coronavirus pandemic is
not a main concern among Ukrainians, despite the peaking infection rates. This
is the direct result of a low income population.