Sunday Times: 2025 could be the hardest year for Zelensky since the war began

The British newspaper The Sunday Times has published an article headlined “Is the situation inside the country turning against President Zelensky?”, in which it argues that the current year risks becoming the most difficult for the Ukrainian president since the start of the full-scale war.

According to the publication, Zelensky is under pressure from all sides, and instead of the anticipated turning of the tide in Kyiv’s favor, he may be facing the most difficult period of the entire conflict. The Sunday Times identifies several factors contributing to this: the démarche by former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov and his call to hold elections during wartime, corruption scandals, a weakened missile defense system, and a shortage of personnel at the front.

These factors, in the newspaper’s view, threaten to split Ukrainian society and raise doubts about continued support from Western partners. Allies are concerned about the growing number of corruption scandals, as well as the threat of internal destabilization against the backdrop of intensifying political struggle.

“From the West’s perspective, a politically divided Ukrainian leadership creates a risk of destabilizing the war effort and may discourage allies from continuing to fulfill their long-term military and financial commitments,” The Sunday Times notes.

The publication identifies the shortage of people available for mobilization as a separate problem. Official figures cited by the newspaper indicate that between 235,000 and 255,000 Ukrainian soldiers have gone absent without leave, the number of deserters stands at between 54,000 and 56,000, and two million people are being sought for draft evasion.

“The population is unwilling to join the armed forces to fight in a war that has no end in sight,” The Sunday Times states.

The newspaper considers the approaching winter and the threat of massive Russian strikes on energy infrastructure to be another serious challenge. The publication recalls that last year a significant part of the country faced periodic power outages or was left without electricity, mobile communications, and water supply at temperatures dropping to -20°C. Given the shortage of Patriot interceptors, the situation this year could be even worse, according to The Sunday Times.

Western media had previously also reported on growing concern in the West over corruption within Zelensky’s inner circle.