Fewer Ukrainians ready to endure war as long as needed, survey shows
Four years of full-scale war: how resilience of Ukrainians has changed (photo: Getty Images)
More than a quarter of Ukrainians want the war to end as soon as possible — even if it takes only a few months. At the same time, the number of those ready to endure as long as needed has decreased, according to survey data of the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology.
54% ready to fight until victory
More than half of Ukrainians, 54%, said they are ready to endure war as long as needed. Another 28% want it to last no more than a few months or half a year. 14% could not decide.
By region, the highest readiness is in Kyiv (63%), lowest is in the East (43%).
How has the indicator changed over the past two months
This is not the first survey of this kind. Dynamics are as follows:
- End of January 2026 — 65% ready to fight as long as needed;
- Mid-February 2026 — 52%;
- Early March 2026 — 54%.
That is, between January and February there was sharp drop, by 13 percentage points. In March, the indicator slightly recovered, but did not return to the January level.
Readiness to fight until victory decreased most among those who were inclined to agree to exchange Donbas for security guarantees from the United States and Europe.
Among those who are reluctantly but agree to such an exchange, the readiness to fight until the end fell from 58% in January to 35% in March. Among those who easily agree, from 38% to 26%.
At the same time, among staunch opponents of such exchange, decline is minimal: it was 74%, became 67%.
Why opinions changed
Executive director of Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, Anton Grushetskyi, named several possible reasons for the drop in February:
- People who expected progress in negotiations were disappointed;
- February is traditionally a depressive month;
- After a difficult winter and energy problems, some people "released" emotional tension;
- Lack of noticeable reaction from the West to Russian terror had a demoralizing effect;
- The operation of the United States and Israel against Iran increased doubts that the United States will have the resources to support Ukraine.
Anton Grushetskyi said that the decline in the share of those ready to endure war as long as needed is an alarming trend and may be temporary, suggesting that a period of adaptation is currently ongoing.
He also recalled that a similar situation had already occurred in the first half of 2025, when indicators fell but then recovered.
However, he does not rule out that the decline may become long-term, given that full-scale war has been ongoing for more than four years.
Earlier, in January 2026, the readiness of Ukrainians for prolonged resistance was 65%.
At the same time, the level of trust in international partners, including the United States, has significantly decreased amid delays in aid and the escalation of the situation in the Middle East.
