86 Percent of Ukrainians Want to Resist Russia Despite Bombardments

The vast majority of Ukrainians (86 percent) want to continue the armed struggle and resist Russian aggression, even if the occupiers continue to strike at  Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure, according to the results of a survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS).

“Despite the Russian shelling, which destroys infrastructure and takes people’s lives, 86 percent of respondents said it is necessary to continue the armed struggle anyway, even if the shelling continues. In particular, 71 percent of them fully agree with this opinion (another 16 percent rather agree),” KIIS said in a press release on the results of the survey.

It notes that only 10 percent of respondents replied that it is necessary to move to negotiations for the earliest possible cessation of shelling, even if it is necessary to make concessions to Russia.

Sociologists clarify that in western Ukraine 88 percent of respondents are in favor of continuing the struggle and eight percent opt for concessions for the sake of ending the war as soon as possible.  To the east the share of respondents ready to make concessions (69 percent and 29 percent, respectively) is growing, but in all regions the majority holds the opinion that it is necessary to continue armed resistance.

“Even in the east, 69 percent hold this opinion (this is answered by people living in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions, who are subjected to constant rocket and artillery attacks),” the institute clarifies.

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They add that among the respondents who chose the Ukrainian language for the interview, the overwhelming majority (89 percent) believe that it is necessary to continue armed resistance, even if the shelling continues.

At the same time, only seven percent of Ukrainian-speaking respondents believe that it is necessary to start negotiations, even if Ukraine has to make concessions to Russia. Among the respondents who chose to speak Russian for the interview, these figures are 66 percent and 29 percent, respectively.

The survey was conducted with adult (aged 18 years and older) citizens of Ukraine who at the time of the survey lived on the territory of Ukraine (within the limits controlled by the Ukrainian authorities until February 24, 2022).

The sample did not include residents of territories that were temporarily not controlled by the authorities of Ukraine before February 24, 2022 (Crimea, Sevastopol, certain districts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions). Also, the survey was not conducted with citizens who went abroad after February 24, 2022.