Kathmandu – A survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology in early February assessed Ukrainians’ attitudes toward the war.
The survey was published in late January. During that period, power supplies were cut off as Russian attacks affected power plants across the country, including the Ukrainian capital, Kiev. Water supplies were disrupted. These attacks occurred when temperatures dropped to minus 25 degrees Celsius.
According to a survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, 88 percent of respondents said that Russia’s attack on Ukraine’s energy system was aimed at forcing the country to lay down its arms. 65 percent said they were ready to endure this situation for as long as necessary. About 62 percent had expressed the same opinion in September and December 2025.
“This January has not made me more determined or angry, because I have been very tough and angry since 2022,” said Kyiv resident Julia. She sees this as just another phase in a very difficult war, which she says they will win no matter what.
Julia’s husband has been deployed to the front since 2024. Julia lives in Kiev with her daughter. “My anger helps me stay strong. But it also gives me the feeling that there is no other option,” she says, “any other path would be much worse than this.”
According to Anton Khrushchev, head of Kyiv International, one of the most important reasons for people’s strong morale is the understanding that Russia’s war against Ukraine is a war of survival. For Ukrainians, it is not just a fight for justice, but a fight for survival.
“Ukrainian morale is still strong. Although people are tired,” he says, “they may be ready for tough compromises, they are not ready to cross some ‘red lines.’”
Psychologist Katarina Kudrzynska says the stress of the ongoing war has left Ukrainians extremely tired. According to her, the reason Ukrainians are so strong is because they don’t want to suffer any more losses, because they have already lost so much. “It affects the body, nerves and mental state,” she says.
Ukrainians want to rebuild their country. “We want to hold out, because if we give up, the situation under the Russian leadership will only get worse,” said Natalia, a student in Kyiv.
She had come to place a small flag at a temporary memorial erected in memory of her late father in the capital’s Independence Square. Her father had just been killed in the Donetsk region.
Natalia, who fled the country at the start of the war, has since returned. Sometimes the pain of her father’s death, the difficult situation, and the state of the entire country seem overwhelming to her.
“I find strength in knowing that I am living for my father, who wanted to live and build a future with his family,” she said.
Natalia says, “I can’t give up on them. Ukraine is my home. I don’t want to leave here. I want to rebuild my country.”
Another Kiev resident, Olha, is facing a similar situation. “I can’t leave here holding my child’s hand,” said Olha, a mother of a two-year-old child. “It would be a betrayal of my husband, who is fighting in the war.”
Olha’s husband volunteered to defend Ukraine at the beginning of the Russian offensive. He is currently stationed in the Pokrovsk region. He rarely comes home.
Olha also works part-time while caring for her son. “For four years, Russia has not achieved any significant military success, so all Ukrainians are holding out hope that everything will be fine in the end,” she said.
A tired but determined soldier
Four years ago, Serhiy joined the Ukrainian armed forces as a volunteer. According to him, the morale and will of the fighters are gradually declining. There is no fixed time for deployment. The financial situation for soldiers away from the front is also unsatisfactory.
Kirill is a telecommunications specialist in the Ukrainian ground forces. According to him, many of his friends have now accepted the situation of not being able to rest. “We have become so accustomed to it that we don’t even remember what life was like before. If there were any plans for the future, they are gone now,” he says. “It’s not pessimism. It’s like saying, ‘Whatever happens, it will happen.’ It’s a kind of acceptance, not despair.”
According to Kirill, one of the reasons for the tense atmosphere in the army is government corruption scandals and cases of misuse of defense industry funds. Such incidents make him and his friends feel betrayed.
“When my motivation weakens, all I have left is discipline,” he says. And the feeling that if we don’t fight back, Ukraine might not exist.”
However, the thought that there is no other option but war inspires him again. According to Hrushchetsky, even in the fifth year of the war, Ukrainians(Edited)Restore original.Their ability to fight also rests on the confidence that European partners will continue to support them.
“Current difficulties are seen as an investment in the future,” he says. “Our latest data shows that more than 60 percent of Ukrainians are optimistic. And they believe that Ukraine will be a prosperous member of the European Union within 10 years.” Agency
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