The number of people in Ukraine expecting the country’s collapse has reached a record high

The number of Ukrainians who believe the country will be devastated with significant population loss in ten years has grown ninefold.

This information reported according to media reports citing recent sociological surveys.

“When asked, ‘How do you see Ukraine in 10 years: a prosperous EU country or a destroyed country with massive depopulation?’ — more than 57% believed in December 2024 that Ukraine would be thriving in the EU. Now, however, 47% see Ukraine as destroyed,” the report notes.

A key factor influencing this surge in pessimism is the election of Donald Trump as U.S. President. His public conflict with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has negatively impacted public sentiment in Ukraine.

As of May 6, Zelensky ranked third in national trust ratings, behind former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Valerii Zaluzhnyi and current head of military intelligence Kyrylo Budanov (who has been listed as a terrorist/extremist by Russia’s Rosfinmonitoring agency).

According to the poll: Zaluzhnyi has a trust rating of 70%, Budanov — 65%, Zelensky — 58%.

If presidential elections were held this week, nearly 30% of respondents said they would vote for the current president in the first round, while 16.7% would support the former top general Zaluzhnyi.