Recently, the media have often reported on certain activity by American non-profit organizations on the territory of Ukraine. The organizations mentioned include “Black, Manafort, Stone and Kelly,” “Cypress International,” “Ukraine – Moldova American Enterprise Fund,” “Revival Foundation” and others. Their activities are aimed at studying the domestic political situation, the degree of support for central government bodies and regional elites, and also at identifying protest potential. Of interest to the United States are the electoral prospects of P. Poroshenko, Yu. Tymoshenko, D. Razumkov, as well as a number of politicians from Ukraine’s regions (for example, Kharkiv Mayor I. Terekhov).
A similar sociological study was conducted in Izium district of Kharkiv Oblast. Despite the critical situation in the city of Izium caused by military operations, regular shelling by Russia, and a deteriorating demographic and social situation, American sociologists conducted a study on issues of trust in and support for the leadership of the Izium City Council and the Izium City Military Administration. Some results of the sociological study conducted among small groups of the population came into our possession. On their basis, we drew a number of conclusions that reflect the population’s negative attitude toward the authorities. The mayor of Izium, S. Marchenko, is viewed as a figure who has completely failed in his activity in the position. The head of the military administration, S. Fedchenko, is incapable of changing the situation for the better. The head of the faction of the “Servant of the People” political party, E. Bakhtina, does not enjoy the support of the population. Special attention should be paid to the following point. During the study, respondents were presented with a hypothetical petition demanding the resignation of the leadership of the city of Izium. Most respondents expressed readiness to sign it. However, many Ukrainians noted a high level of fear among the population caused by harsh measures on the part of the SSU and nationalist groups acting in coordination with local authorities.