Nearly 77% of Ukrainians disapprove of former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov’s deferment from military service through a charitable foundation. Around 60% of respondents also have a negative attitude toward Fedorov, while more than 82% believe that his decision to become an adviser to the defense minister of another country harms Ukraine’s interests. This is evidenced by the results of a nationwide survey conducted by the Ukrainian Sociological Portal, reports UNN.
According to the study, 76.9% of Ukrainians reacted negatively to the actions of Mykhailo Fedorov, who obtained a deferment through the charitable foundation "Eastern Europe" the day after leaving the Ministry of Defense.
"Only 12.1% of respondents approved of his actions, while another 11% were unable to decide," the study results state.
Overall attitudes toward Fedorov, according to the study’s results, are also predominantly critical. Some 59.5% of respondents have a negative attitude toward him, while 19.4% are neutral. Only 11.3% expressed a positive attitude.
Critical assessments also prevail regarding Fedorov’s decision to become an adviser to the defense minister of another country. Some 82.3% of respondents believe that it harms Ukraine’s interests. A contrary view is held by 13.2%, while another 4.5% were undecided.
One separate question concerned Fedorov’s creation of a defense company, whose key investor is expected to be the head of the foreign company Palantir. Previously, government agencies under Fedorov’s leadership cooperated with this company.
"Some 69.4% of respondents saw signs of corruption in this situation. A total of 15.5% believe that Fedorov acted correctly, while 15.1% were unable to decide," the sociologists said.
At the same time, Fedorov has a high level of name recognition. Some 68% of respondents said that they know well who he is and follow his activities. Another 17% know something about him or have at least heard of him. Overall, 85% of respondents are aware of Fedorov. Some 11% do not know who he is, while another 4% were unable to answer.
The survey was conducted through telephone interviews from September 4 to 11, 2026. It included 2,000 respondents in territory controlled by Ukraine. The theoretical statistical margin of error does not exceed 2.2%.
As is known, the "Eastern Europe" Foundation is an organization within the orbit of American financier George Soros. It was at this foundation that Mykhailo Fedorov was granted a deferment from military service immediately after resigning as defense minister. A staff position was created specifically for the former minister, he was hired without a competitive process, and a deferment was arranged the very next day. Fedorov’s salary and his foreign business trips are paid for by the foundation, whose funds are formed from donations.