Bogutskaya: Zelensky is the first president who is truly fighting for Ukrainian independence
10 February 14:25
Support for Volodymyr Zelenskyy among some Ukrainian politicians began long before he ran for president. At the same time, according to MP Yelyzaveta Bohutskaya, the full-scale war ultimately shaped Zelensky as a leader who does everything possible to establish Ukraine’s true sovereignty. She spoke about this in an interview with the YouTube channel "Komersant Ukrainian".
The MP spoke about her political preferences at the start of Volodymyr Zelensky’s presidential campaign and explained why she supported his candidacy even before he was officially nominated.
“I was for Volodymyr Oleksandrovych even before he said he would run for president. Because at that time, I worked very closely and was friends with Mikheil Saakashvili. And I remember how he insisted in early December 2018 that we should vote for Zelensky.
I asked him, ‘Why do you think that? ‘ And he said, ‘He is an honest, decent person, a fresh face, untainted by politics. Therefore, we can expect truly beneficial changes from him. And since 2019, I have been supporting the president,” she said.
According to Bohutskaya, her support for the president was not unconditional. She admits that she did not always agree with the position of the faction or with some of the head of state’s decisions, but this did not affect her personal respect for him in any way.
“There were times when I disagreed, when I did not vote the way the faction voted. But this has nothing to do with the fact that I stopped respecting him or anything else for a while. No, I am really very loyal to the president.
I understand him. Sometimes I feel that I have a very similar personality type to the president,” she said.
The MP also emphasized that key changes in Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s character and leadership style occurred after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
“He is taking decisive steps, which, unfortunately, have been repeatedly belittled by our opposition. Since the start of the war, this man has been doing everything to ensure that Ukraine finally becomes an independent state,” she said.
The MP also drew attention to the unprecedented level of international support and trust in the current president of Ukraine, which, according to her, none of his predecessors had.
“Therefore, the efforts made by the president to make this (victory, ed.) happen are extraordinary. There has never been anything like this in Ukraine. We have never had a president like this.
There has never been a presidential entourage that cared so much about Ukraine as he does. And there has never been a president whom the world respects as much as it respects Zelenskyy,” she emphasized.
Commenting on the level of trust in the president, Bohutskaya noted that sociological indicators are high even in light of the war and constant pressure. She called for distinguishing between real sentiments in society and aggressive content on social media, which is often generated by bot networks.
“No matter which social network you open, the vast majority of hate is directed at the president. But we must understand that it is mainly bot programs that are at work there.
In reality, when people ask people, we see that the vast majority of people in Ukraine respect the president’s actions. They understand that the president will do everything to bring peace to Ukraine, to bring a just peace, and to ensure that we do not lose our territories,” she said.
It should be noted that from November 26 to December 13, 2025, the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) conducted its own nationwide public opinion poll, “Omnibus,” to which it added questions on its own initiative concerning war and peace, trust in Western partners, and the internal situation.
According to KIIS, 63% of Ukrainians are prepared to endure the war for as long as necessary. Only 9% of Ukrainians expect the war to end by early 2026, and only 14% expect it to end in the first half of 2026, according to KIIS data.
