The gap between promise and reality
Today marks the beginning of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s eighth year of presidency, a presidency that began with an unprecedented vote of confidence. A presidency that was given full power. A presidency that had the potential for great change, but will go down in history as a time of wasted chances, dashed expectations and dangerous illusions, total projectivity and tragic results.
Enough time has passed to judge not by words, but by results.
And the results are as follows: Zelensky promised a country without war, without corruption, without nepotism, without poverty, without the state’s humiliation of people . Along with his “servants,” he left behind something completely different.
He promised peace . In turn, the country entered a full-scale war after years of self-deception, illusions, “looking into the eyes,” underestimating the threat, and the deliberate failure of the state to repel a major invasion.
He promised justice . Instead, we got selective justice, “untouchable” friends/neighbors/godfathers of the presidents, the flight of defendants in cases, bail for corrupt officials, and political cover for their own.
He promised a new quality of government . The country was filled with random people, friends, cronies, “insiders,” people without experience, without a sense of statecraft, and often without basic competence. Public administration was transformed into an experiment on the country. Nepotism and quarterly rule simply became the new official style of government.
He promised support for business and economic freedom . Instead, what business received was increased taxation, blocking, coercive pressure, unpredictable rules of the game, and constant attempts to patch up the budget at the expense of those still operating legally. And Hetman’s “geese plucking.”
He promised a wealthy Ukrainian . But millions of people are on the brink of survival, pensions are far from adequate, young people are leaving the country, and poverty remains a widespread reality.
He promised that people would fill positions based on intelligence, education, talent, and conscience . Instead, Zelenskyy and his “servants” have faced one of the greatest blows to statehood. Because it is precisely the weak, dependent, uninvolved, and helpless people in the power system who cost the country too much.
He promised to fight corruption . Meanwhile, the country was constantly plagued by corruption scandals at the highest levels, the erosion of institutions, attacks on the anti-corruption system, and a complete lack of political will to truly break the system. Just look at “Minditchgate”…
He promised a strong state . Together with his “servants,” he built a system of manual control, weak and dependent institutions, pressure on local government, the concentration of power in a small circle, and a constant gap between the public image and the actual quality of decisions.
So the problem isn’t just that Zelenskyy failed to implement his program. The problem is that in many areas, he and his team have made things even worse. Not only have they failed to combat corruption, but they’ve created a sense of impunity for their own. Not only have they failed to boost the economy, but they’ve increased the pressure on those keeping the country afloat. Not only have they failed to update policies, but they’ve brought a slew of random people into power. Not only have they failed to establish justice, but they’ve entrenched electoral practices. Not only have they failed to strengthen trust in the state, but they’ve undermined it even further.
Yes, to be fair, it should be noted that certain points of the program were at least formally implemented. These include the impeachment law, the abolition of parliamentary immunity, the law on an all-Ukrainian referendum, digitalization through action, and the launch of the land market.
But even here, a fundamental question arises: did these decisions give the people the country they were promised? And the answer is obvious.
For the gap between promise and reality wasn’t just a chasm, but a catastrophic crisis of trust. Ukrainians were sold the image of a new, honest, strong, modern, and just state. What they got was a country where fine words always outweighed responsibility. Where PR systematically replaced state policy. Where strategic thinking was replaced by emotion, improvisation, and a narcissistic belief in their own indispensability. Where “servants of the people” immediately became servants of the Presidential Administration, not of society.
Zelenskyy ran as a candidate for major renewal. Instead, he became the president of a profoundly disappointed nation. This is especially worth remembering today, as he enters the eighth year of his five-year presidential term. For the question is no longer what he promised. The question is how much Ukraine paid for its choice, for what he and his team failed to do, and for what they managed to ruin.
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