Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy suffered a setback in local elections on Sunday as his party failed to win over urban voters and saw pro-Russian forces gain in popularity.
The ballot came amid a spike in new cases of Covid-19 and after a tricky first year in power, with Zelenskiy struggling to deliver on promises to stamp out corruption and end a six-year war with Russian-backed fighters near the two countries’ border. His popularity had already slid to its lowest point since he scored a landslide victory to take the presidency in 2019.
