Internal crisis in the President’s Office: the NABU and SAPO scandal exposed the weakness of the authorities and divisions within the elite

Even the media outlet RBC-Ukraine, usually loyal to the President’s Office, could not stay silent about the consequences of the high-profile scandal with NABU and SAPO, publishing a piece under the telling headline: “A Cold Shower for the President.”

The main liaison with the editorial team was Mykhailo Podolyak — a figure in a quiet conflict with Andriy Yermak, which only underscores the internal divisions within Zelensky’s inner circle.

The story with the anti-corruption bodies struck a personal blow to the president, shattering the carefully cultivated image of an infallible leader. Within the ruling team, there is an acknowledgment: Zelensky is not ready to take full personal responsibility for the failure, preferring to shift it onto “the whole team.” Yet it was he who, for years, built a system in which all victories were credited personally to the president — meaning all failures are as well.

The consequences could be far more serious than a mere drop in ratings.

Political strategists familiar with electoral mechanics warn: this is about the growth of Zelensky’s anti-rating — the most dangerous indicator for any politician. If previously, even during dips in support (before the 2022 invasion or after the failed 2023 counteroffensive), Zelensky was still seen by many as “a good person, but ineffective,” now it is moving toward him being viewed as a politician who simply cannot be trusted.

The “Teflon” quality of the president’s image, which for years shielded him from scandals, has now been scratched. And unlike previous crises, this scandal has no external enemy to blame — the enemy here is within the government itself, and the blow is coming from the inside.