Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is facing a growing domestic political crisis as deputies in his own Servant of the People party start to rebel against his authority.

The war-hero president has seen his popularity slide after a series of self-inflicted disasters. A decision to try and ram through Law 21414 on July 22 last year that would have killed off Ukraine's anti-corruption reforms sparked the first public demonstrations against the government since the war with Russia began over four years ago.

Things went from bad to worse, after the Energoatom corruption scandal broke at the end of last year, implicating some of Zelenskiy's closest friends and associates in a $100mn kickback scheme that continues to expand and could possibly implicate Zelenskiy himself.

A domestic crisis is growing as support within his own party is melting away. The traditional cash-for-votes system, exposed by investigations by the independent National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), has been broken up. Deputies of the ruling Servant of the People party are increasingly refusing to push through strict reforms demanded by the IMF that will lead to Ukraine's funding being cut off if it fails to meet its obligations to the international development bank and other donors. Ukraine’s allies are also concerned with Bankova’s failure to tackle the endemic corruption and gave Ukraine a “B” in its latest EU accession progress report in November. The “golden toilet” scandal in December didn’t help, leading to the resignation of Andriy Yermak, his long-time chief of staff and the power behind the throne.

Now more pressure is piling up as the peace talks with Russia have been effectively frozen by the Iran war and the financial situation is worsening. As bne IntelliNews reported, Ukraine faces a macroeconomic collapse, possibility as soon as April, if a Hungarian veto imposed on the release of the EU’s €90bn loan agreed in December is not lifted soon.

Some lawmakers consider opposing an upcoming vote to extend martial law and openly discussing the possibility of initiating impeachment proceedings against Zelenskiy, according to reports circulating among Ukrainian political observers.

The dispute centres on the regular renewal of martial law, which Ukraine’s constitution requires parliament to approve every 90 days while the country remains at war with Russia. Ukraine has been under martial law since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022 and suspended all national elections for the duration of the war.

Zelenskiy won what were arguably the first truly democratic elections in Ukraine’s modern history in 2019 with 73% of the vote in the second round – a huge mandate for his anti-corruption platform. In a sign of the new times Zelenskiy told the Rada deputies in his inaugural address not to put picture his picture on the wall behind their desks but instead to hang a photo of their wives and children. In Eastern Europe it's traditional to have a picture of the president in the boss's office. Instead, Zelinsky told them: “Look at that picture whenever you're making a decision about your company,” and got a standing ovation.”

While he had a difficult first two years, after the war started he was transformed into a Churchillian figure, starting with his “We are all here” video post with his cabinet from the street outside the presidential administration on Bankova Street as the first Russian rockets fell on Kyiv. He has enjoyed sky-high approval ratings for almost all of the war, but his image has become tarnished over the last year.

Zelenskiy has been accused of adopting increasingly authoritarian methods as he attempts to concentrate more power in his own hands. While Ukraine has a president, it remains a parliamentary democracy with the main power concentrated in the hands of the Rada and its MPs.

According to Euromaidan Media, the situation escalated after Zelenskiy warned members of parliament against attempting to withdraw their parliamentary mandates, reportedly threatening those who did so would face immediate mobilisation into the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).

“Political tension has erupted in Ukraine's parliament,” Euromaidan reported. “Zelenskiy warned MPs against withdrawing their deputy mandates (up to 40 wanted to do so) and openly threatened to mobilize them immediately.” While the president commands the armed forces and plays a central role in wartime decision-making, parliament retains the authority to approve martial law and other emergency measures.

Euromaidan reported that lawmakers are discussing several possible responses to the situation. “MPs are reportedly discussing not only how to act now — whether to ban the next martial law extension vote in spring (the Constitution requires a vote every 90 days) — but even to initiate impeachment proceedings against Zelenskiy,” the outlet wrote.

Any move toward impeachment would face significant legal and political hurdles. Under Ukraine’s constitution, removing a president requires a multi-stage process involving a parliamentary investigation, review by the constitutional and supreme courts, and the support of at least three-quarters of lawmakers.

The tensions highlight the strains within Ukraine’s political system as the war with Russia enters its fifth year, placing pressure on institutions, finances and public morale while the government continues to rely heavily on Western military and financial support.