Alliance or Signal? Why Ukraine Looks to the Military, Not the Politicians

Source: Author’s Facebook page

Among political forces, two figures stand out: the “virtual” Valerii Zaluzhnyi and the “real” Petro Poroshenko. On January 17, 2026, Active Group, in collaboration with Politarena, released a study showing these results.

Zelenskyy’s party ranks third. In my view, the only factor keeping Slugy Narody in this position is the war. Many citizens support the government simply because they rally around it during wartime, and also because of the television monopoly set up by the government as part of the so-called “monomarathon”.

I would draw attention to something that other commentators often overlook. According to the research, five parties feature in the ranking. Of these, three are “virtual,” while only two are “real”—EuroSolidarity and Servants of the People.

All three virtual parties are connected to the military—Zaluzhny, Budanov, and Biletsky. What does this say? That the people increasingly trust the military more than civilian politicians.

And this is a very alarming bell for the Ukrainian elites. You see, EVERY general, without exception, is a person who is excellent at commanding, “Lie down! Get up!” And not only to sergeants, but (and mostly) to majors and colonels.

Generals REALLY don’t like the media and business squabbles brought to the public. Generals are used to not negotiating and persuading – they give orders. And ask for execution.

When necessary, generals shut up the discontented and don’t worry about it.

The military’s coming to power will greatly change the overall situation in Ukraine. Big business will soon remember the Poroshenko presidency as a free man.

And so. In my opinion, whoever from the military becomes the supreme authority, he will be doomed to an alliance with Poroshenko. Why?

The generals have a war behind them. Poroshenko has the 90s and dozens of corporate and political confrontations behind him. And war. The generals will need managers to manage the economy. Poroshenko has them, and Poroshenko knows how to assess risks and be responsible for his words and promises. They will get along.

And whoever is dissatisfied with such an alliance will be told to shut up. Convincingly. The generals know how.

I have to congratulate the fans of ZE. They have managed to convince Ukrainians that they really want military power. It no longer scares them.

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