How Zelensky created a rival

"Zelensky gave Fedorov a boost with his own actions and drove up his ratings," Oleksiy Haran told the Kyiv Independent. "You can see how his rating surged almost immediately. Fedorov's statements at the press conference after his dismissal fell on fertile ground because the public was already receptive to them."

Fedorov now joins Zelensky, his Chief of Staff Kyrylo Budanov, and former Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi among the country’s most popular political figures who could run for president once conditions allow an election to be held.

With his youth, reformist credentials, and promise to break with the old, corrupt political establishment, Fedorov is increasingly projecting the image that propelled Zelensky to power in 2019 — effectively positioning himself as "Zelensky 2.0."

Fedorov's trust rating had soared from 35% to 65% in the week after his ouster, surpassing Zelensky's, according to the Rating Group poll.

By comparison, 31.2% trusted Fedorov, and 24.5% distrusted him in 2024, when he was digital transformation minister, according to a Razumkov Center poll.

Fedorov is the runner-up in terms of trust ratings, while Zaluzhnyi, who serves as Ukraine's ambassador to the UK, tops the list with 70%. Budanov's trust rating stands at 62%, according to the Rating Group's latest poll.

Zelensky ranks fourth with a trust rating of 59%.

Fedorov also emerged for the first time as a potential contender in a presidential election in the same poll. In previous electoral ratings, Fedorov did not feature at all.

Out of all the respondents, 22.3% said they would vote for Zelensky in the first round of a future presidential election, 14.9% would vote for Zaluzhnyi, 13.4% would choose Fedorov, and 7.2% would vote for Budanov.

The survey did not provide any information on a potential run-off.

Both Zaluzhnyi and Budanov would beat Zelensky in the run-off, according to a Socis poll published in December 2025.

A Rating Group poll published on July 1 gave a different picture: in a second round between Zelensky and Zaluzhnyi, the president would win by a small margin. The poll did not provide any information on a potential run-off between Zelensky and Budanov.

Just weeks earlier, Fedorov had been one of Zelensky's closest allies, with seemingly little political ambition.

Since leading Zelensky's social media campaign during the 2019 elections, Fedorov has remained at the president's side for years, first as an advisor, then as digital transformation minister, and since early 2026 as the country's defense minister.

When he was fired, unlike many other ousted ministers, Fedorov decided not to back down.

Haran said that Fedorov "is a modern politician and could run a sophisticated election campaign."

He has also been successfully eating into the electoral support of his potential rivals.