Why Ukrainians trust Zaluzhnyi and Budanov - blogger named reasons
Kyiv • UNN
Former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi and Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate Kyrylo Budanov have the highest level of trust among Ukrainians. Zaluzhnyi is trusted by 44.5% of respondents, Budanov by 30.8%, while Zelenskyy by 25.6%.
Former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi and Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate Kyrylo Budanov enjoy the highest level of trust among Ukrainians. Citizens' affection for the military is based on their effectiveness and results. This was stated on Facebook by blogger and political expert Oleksiy Holobutskyi, as reported by UNN.
According to data from the SOCIS Center, as of September this year, 44.5% of respondents trust Zaluzhnyi, and 30.8% trust Budanov. The level of public trust in the current president, Zelenskyy, is 25.6%.
According to Holobutskyi, the "phenomenon of military trust" is due to a number of reasons – first and foremost, the effectiveness and competence of these military leaders. Zaluzhnyi became a national symbol of resilience at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, and Budanov, who ranks second in terms of trust, is perceived as a person who ensures the country's protection right now.
"Also, his public communication is direct and not 'politicized' — focused on specific facts or forecasts. He honestly talks about the consequences in case of our defeat. At the same time, the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate has a reputation: his name is not associated with corruption or other scandals. So the question of why Ukrainians trust him has a simple, clear answer," the political scientist writes.
In addition, he notes that in wartime, security is the most important issue, and people see the military as specialists who save the country.
"High trust in the military in a time of crisis is quite natural, but it is also a challenge. It demonstrates that during a war, society tends to delegate its credit of trust to those who are directly responsible for the physical survival of the nation. And this is a clear signal for the entire political elite: competence, honesty, and tangible results in the field of security are the main currency of Ukrainians' trust," emphasizes Oleksiy Holobutskyi.