There is much talk of Russian revenge in Kyiv these days. As President Zelensky begins his second year in office, political opponents accuse him of pursuing an increasingly revanchist agenda and warn of escalating plots to return Ukraine to the Kremlin orbit. The country’s historic pivot towards Euro-Atlantic integration is in grave danger, they say.
Zelenskyy’s critics claim to see growing evidence of Kremlin influence throughout government. They cite the recent attempts to appoint toxic figures with ties to the pro-Russian administration of disgraced ex-president Viktor Yanukovych, and question Zelensky’s moderate stance on the traditionally thorny issues of language policy and national memory. Meanwhile, his one-sided efforts to reinvigorate the stalled peace process through repeated concessions to the Kremlin continue to generate deep suspicion.
