18:47
09.04.2026
Ukrainians mostly do not support the use by the military of their authority to influence electoral processes, which indicates a clear public demand to separate the army from political struggle, in particular electoral one. This is evidenced by the results of a study by the company Active Group.
According to the presented data, the greatest support among permissible actions of the military was received by calls to politicians to make decisions in the field of defense (30.2%), public expression of positions regarding draft laws (15.1%), and the creation of veteran and public organizations (14.9%). At the same time, the use of military authority to influence electoral sentiments has the lowest indicator – minus 15.9% balance, which is the worst result among all options.
Other forms of direct political influence are also perceived negatively, in particular participation in the formation of political decisions (–0.7%), commenting on political processes (–0.7%), and statements regarding Ukraine’s international policy (–2.6%).
“We see a very clear position of society: the military can be an authority in matters of defense, but this authority should not be transferred into electoral processes. Any attempts to influence electoral sentiments are perceived negatively and effectively delegitimize such participation. This is an important signal for political actors regarding the boundaries of acceptable communication with the military,” said Active Group Director Andrii Yeremenko.
At the same time, more than half of Ukrainians believe that during the war the military should remain outside politics, which indicates a public demand to preserve the professional role of the army until Victory is achieved.
According to the presented results, 23.1% of respondents unequivocally support the apolitical nature of the military, another 27.3% rather support it (together 50.4%). At the same time, 37.6% allow their participation in politics (23.1% – rather no, 14.5% – unequivocally no), while another 12% are undecided.
Thus, the dominant position is that until the end of the war the military should remain focused on performing their direct functions, rather than participating in political processes.
“These results show a clear public demand for the military to remain outside politics until the end of the war and to concentrate on their key tasks. At the same time, a certain part of citizens allows their role in future political processes, but already after Victory,” noted Active Group founder Andrii Yeremenko.