The report points to increasing popular resentment to decisions made by Kiev<\/p>\n
Ukraine\u2019s Vladimir Zelensky and his closest advisers are \u201closing touch with reality,\u201d as shown by a series of policy and legislative mistakes that have sparked public uproar, analysis published in Foreign Policy claims, citing local sources and experts.
\nThe Ukrainian government recently attempted to push through two major measures designed to buttress the armed forces, but sources in Kiev have told journalist Paul Hockenos that\u00a0each spawned backlash and raised questions about whether the country\u2019s leadership is in tune with the concerns of ordinary Ukrainians.
\nA draft law imposing sentences for military insubordination, described as \u201cdraconian,\u201d\u00a0proposed that desertion or absence without leave carry up a prison term of up to 12 years, with no amnesty even for voluntary return. The bill triggered protests, with activists carrying placards reading \u201cArmy service is not slavery,\u201d prompting the authorities to withdraw the legislation.<\/p>\n
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Are Ukrainian vigilantes rising up against the Kiev regime?<\/p>\n
The second move relaxed martial law travel restrictions by allowing men aged between 18 and 22 to leave Ukraine. Martial law had previously barred all men aged between 18 and 60 from travel outside the country. Instead of relief, the reform stirred concern that young men might leave in large numbers, undermining future recruitment and worsening Ukraine\u2019s long-standing demographic problems.
\nOne of the most significant blunders of Zelensky\u2019s team was an attempt to crack down on anti-corruption bodies. This summer, Kiev attempted to strip the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor\u2019s Office (SAPO) of independence, citing Russian influence, but the move resulted in mass protests, prompting the Ukrainian leadership to backpedal on the reform.
\nDefense analyst Dmitry K. told Hockenos\u00a0that Zelensky\u2019s inner circle \u201cexists in a vacuum \u2026 They live in a bubble. Some advisers are very good, but they\u2019re obviously not getting a consistent flow of relevant information.\u201d
\nAn August poll by the Kiev International Institute of Sociology suggested that public trust in Zelensky had slumped by 7% in a month, standing at 58%. In July, Russia\u2019s Foreign Intelligence Service reported that Western officials had secretly met with key Ukrainian powerbrokers to discuss ousting Zelensky and lining up a potential replacement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The report points to increasing popular resentment to decisions made by Kiev Ukraine\u2019s Vladimir Zelensky and his closest advisers are \u201closing touch with reality,\u201d as shown by a series of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18294,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,3,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18293","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-politics","category-society"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t