Despite Russian terror: most Ukrainians are prepared to endure the war for as long as necessary

Most Ukrainians continue to demonstrate a readiness to endure the war as long as necessary to achieve an acceptable peace. At the same time, the vast majority of citizens retain faith in Ukraine’s victory. This is shown by the results of a nationwide survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KMIS), conducted 12–21 September 2026.

The study was conducted by telephone interviews using CATI technology. It included 1002 citizens of Ukraine aged 18 and over who at the time of the survey lived in areas controlled by the government of Ukraine. Residents of temporarily occupied territories were not included in the sample. Also, KMIS did not survey citizens who left the country after 24 February 2022. At the same time, the sample included some internally displaced persons who moved from occupied territories.

According to KMIS, 79% of Ukrainians believe that Ukraine will ultimately win the war. Of these, 47% said they unconditionally believe in Ukraine’s victory, and another 32% are rather inclined to that view.

At the same time, 7% of respondents believe that Russia will win, and another 14% could not decide. Researchers note a change specifically in the level of certainty.

At the end of July 2026, a total of 85% of Ukrainians believed in Ukraine’s victory. However, then 60% were unconditionally confident in this, whereas in September such share remained 47%.

Thus, overall faith in victory remains dominant, but some citizens have become less categorical in their assessments. According to KMIS, this occurred against the background of a simultaneous increase in the share of those who consider Russia the winner.

Separately, KMIS asked Ukrainians how long they are willing to tolerate the war. 62% answered that they are ready to tolerate the war as long as necessary. Another 4% are ready to endure the war for about 1 year. A shorter period — several months or half a year — was named by 23% of respondents. Another 11% could not decide.

Compared with the previous survey, conducted at the end of July — beginning of August 2026, the indicators have practically not changed. KMIS notes that the survey was conducted against the backdrop of an intensification of Russian terror using rocket drones and new strikes on civilian infrastructure. At the same time, researchers did not record a demoralization of the population on this indicator.

However, the survey was completed before the start of strikes on bridges across the Dnipro, so their possible impact on public sentiment is not reflected in this study.

The highest indicator of readiness to endure the war as long as necessary was recorded by KMIS in Kyiv. There, 72% of respondents expressed this position. For comparison, at the end of July — beginning of August such share was 69%. KMIS notes that the difference is within the margin of statistical error.

In the regions, the September figures were:

• West — 61%;
• Center / North — 61%;
• South — 55%;
• Lower Dnipro region — 66%;
• East — 56%.

Thus, in all macro-regions at least half of respondents stated they are ready to continue to tolerate the war as long as necessary.

The study also showed that 75% of Ukrainians allow negotiations with Russia to end the war. 21% do not allow such negotiations, and another 4% are undecided. However, KMIS separately emphasizes: the question concerned the possibility of holding negotiations, not Ukraine’s willingness to agree to concessions to Russia. Therefore these 75% cannot be interpreted as the share of citizens who support territorial or other concessions to the aggressor.

At the same time, answers to the question about the most realistic scenario for ending the war show more complex sentiments. 41% of respondents consider the most realistic option to be one in which Ukraine retains statehood and independence but is forced to accept territorial losses. KMIS notes that such an answer mostly means a de facto “freezing” of the war along the current front line. At the same time, it refers specifically to the factual situation, and not to the legal recognition of the occupied territories as part of Russia. Overall, 53% of Ukrainians chose scenarios that imply the de-occupation of at least part of the territories.

KMIS information

• 14% consider a return to the borders as of 24 February 2022 realistic;
• 4% — the return of all of Donetsk and Luhansk regions;
• 23% — full restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity including Crimea;
• 12% — full restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity with the transfer of hostilities onto Russian territory;
• 6% — undecided.

Another important result concerns a possible cessation of hostilities along the current front line. KMIS proposed a scenario to respondents of an immediate ceasefire on the condition that Ukraine does not legally recognize the occupied territories as part of Russia, continues to strengthen the army and pursue EU and NATO integration, while a full peace treaty with Russia is impossible to conclude. Under such conditions, 69% of Ukrainians are ready to support a cessation of hostilities. 22% would not support this scenario, and another 9% are undecided.

KMIS explains that such support is largely related to the conditions of the proposed scenario — preserving the ability to strengthen the Ukrainian army, move toward the EU and NATO, and the absence of legal recognition of the occupation.

Overall, the results of the September survey show a contradictory but stable picture: Ukrainians have become less unconditionally confident in victory, but 79% still expect Ukraine’s victory, and 62% are ready to continue to endure the war as long as necessary. KMIS interprets these results as evidence of the preservation of high resilience in Ukrainian society. At the same time, sociologists emphasize that citizens are ready to consider difficult compromises, but not those that would look like a one-sided capitulation of Ukraine.