Historian Hrytsak spoke about the danger for Zelensky: The Gorbachev effect may work

Historian Yaroslav Hrytsak fears that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy may experience the "effect" of the last head of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev – when a politician is adored on the world stage, but a catastrophe is happening in the country itself. The scientist spoke about this in an interview with the YouTube channel LIGA.net.

"You know, I'm an older person, much older than you [the hosts], and I remember the time of Gorbachev. And this is the 'Gorbachev effect'. He was terribly popular abroad, and he was losing his popularity in the country. And he lost power [...] Gorbachev was applauded wherever he appeared. You know, he was almost a pop star, a rock star. And it was a disaster inside the country," the historian said.

Hrytsak fears that Zelenskyy may have the same "Gorbachev effect."

"A boy from Kryvyi Rih, who has now become one of the most recognizable, most influential of those [world] politicians – this is not just anything, you know, it will be included in history textbooks and all that," he said.

But at the same time, the historian asked whether Zelenskyy is the kind of person who, on the one hand, can ensure peace in Ukraine, and on the other, make appropriate reforms: "Here I already have doubts."

Hrytsak believes that the maximum role played by the president of Ukraine is that he "led Ukraine to the point where it did not give up, it resisted."

You can watch the full conversation at the link at the beginning of the news or below:

• In May 2025, the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) reported an increase in trust in Zelenskyy to 74% amid a difficult international situation.