82 percent of Ukrainians believe they will repel Russia: poll

A recent poll showed Ukrainians maintain confidence in their ability to defend their country, despite Russia’s increasingly deadly military invasion. 

The poll from Ukrainian firm Gradus Research was conducted between Feb. 28 and March 1. It found that 82 percent of Ukrainians said they could repel Russia’s attacks, 8 percent said they were not sure and 10 percent said it was hard to say.

The poll, provided to The Hill by a group of independent Ukrainian journalists, indicated that 63 percent of respondents attributed the country’s strength to the power of the armed forces of Ukraine, and 61 percent said the main factor was “the unity and resistance of Ukrainian society.” 

Another 58 percent said that Western military support would be a key factor in the victory. 

Only 1 percent of respondents said that the best outcome of negotiations would be Russia’s terms for peace, the survey showed. 

Meanwhile, 77 percent of participants said they expected the war to make Ukraine stronger. 

In terms of Ukranian perceptions of Ukrainian President President Volodymyr Zelensky, 85 percent of respondents at least partially supported him. Zelensky, a former comedian, has been widely praised for his leadership throughout the invasion. 

Russia on Monday publicly issued a lofty series of demands in negotiations with Ukraine to end the conflict, all of which Kyiv had rejected in previous meetings with Moscow. 

The survey included 2,144 respondents between ages 18 and 60 who lived in Ukrainian cities of 50,000 people or more.