Five mounting pressures on Zelenskyy as corruption, diplomacy and battlefield losses converge

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is facing a convergence of crises nearly four years into Russia’s full-scale invasion: a high-profile corruption scandal, diplomatic pressure over a proposed peace plan, renewed Russian gains on the front and intensified strikes on energy infrastructure as winter approaches. Each of these pressures compounds the others, testing Zelenskyy’s political standing and his ability to navigate a protracted war.

1. Rebellion within his own ranks

Investigators say contractors paid kickbacks that siphoned about $100 million from the energy sector. The revelations have prompted Zelenskyy to dismiss two senior officials and sanction close associates. One implicated associate, Tymur Mindich — formerly a partner in a media production company that Zelenskyy co-owned before his presidency — has reportedly left the country.

Lawmakers and civic activists are demanding accountability, with some calling for the removal of Zelenskyy’s powerful chief of staff, Andrii Yermak. Neither Yermak nor Zelenskyy has been formally accused of wrongdoing, but critics say Yermak’s outsized influence over appointments and policy decisions makes him politically responsible and a focal point for restoring public trust.

2. An office secure for now, but political costs loom

Martial law imposed after the invasion has indefinitely postponed elections, making an immediate ouster through the ballot box unlikely unless Zelenskyy resigns. Still, the scandal and internal dissent could erode his parliamentary support and complicate his ability to pass major decisions, including any negotiated settlement with Russia. Analysts warn this could also weaken his prospects in a future postwar election if perceptions of mismanagement persist.

3. A potential rival from the military

There is no organized political opposition currently capable of unseating Zelenskyy, but former army commander Valerii Zaluzhnyi remains a potential alternative in public imagination. Sacked by Zelenskyy in late 2023 after leading successful counteroffensives, Zaluzhnyi now serves as Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Kingdom and has denied plans to enter politics. Nevertheless, polls show him as a competitive hypothetical challenger, keeping speculation alive.

4. Diplomatic pressure: a U.S.-Russia proposal that would demand big concessions

Officials briefed on a proposal reportedly drafted with U.S. involvement and agreed to in some form by Russia say the plan would ask Ukraine to make significant concessions, including ceding territory, limiting certain weapons and accepting reductions in some U.S. military assistance. The proposal would effectively give Russia control of the entire eastern Donbas region, despite Kyiv still holding parts of it.

Zelenskyy has previously rejected similar demands as unconstitutional and unjust and has not publicly accepted this proposal. Observers note that the timing — amid a damaging corruption scandal — increases pressure on Kyiv, though several European partners have voiced strong reservations about any deal that rewards Russian territorial gains.

5. Military pressure and attacks on energy infrastructure

On the battlefield, Russian forces have stepped up operations and made gradual gains in several sectors. Fighting is active around key points such as Kupiansk, Lyman and intense battles near Pokrovsk, a logistics hub in Donetsk. At the same time, repeated Russian strikes on power plants and energy infrastructure have caused severe electricity shortages — some of the worst since the invasion began — compounding civilian hardship as colder weather approaches.

Together, these five pressures — political unrest, diminished trust at home, the prospect of a diplomatic settlement requiring painful concessions, the presence of potential high-profile rivals, and renewed battlefield and infrastructure strain — form a complex challenge for Zelenskyy’s leadership. How decisively he addresses corruption, how he manages foreign pressure, and how effectively Ukraine defends critical infrastructure will shape the country’s immediate resilience and its longer-term political trajectory.