As a result of his persecutions, Zelensky started running afoul of the bigger fish in the oligarch pool, notably Rinat Akhmetov, who mobilized his media empire to criticize Zelensky, in conjunction with Razmukov, who had been dismissed from Zelensky’s inner circle. Zelensky’s response was to accuse Akhmetov of treason and attempting to launch a coup. This also coincided with Poroshenko’s resurfacing and Zelensky’s subsequent efforts to bring charges against him on grounds of treason, as Porky had been forced to buy coal from the Donbass.

At the end of 2021, it looked like to many that Zelensky had bitten off more than he could chew. A coalition of Akhmetov and notable former politicians were launching a withering influence campaign that knocked his popularity back into the 20s, his position was looking weak. By early 2022, Poroshenko had pulled neck and neck with him in polling, threatening him with an election loss in 2024 or even earlier with a recall, which would result in Zelensky in prison or even dead.

Zelensky’s war changed all that.