Almost Every Ukrainian Thinks Ukraine Will Beat Russia, Poll Finds

98 percent of Ukrainians say Ukraine will win war against Russia

Karl Salzmann • August 11, 2022 2:30 pm

Ukrainians overwhelmingly believe their country will beat back Russia’s unprovoked invasion, according to a poll released Thursday.

The poll, conducted by the International Republican Institute’s Center for Insights in Survey Research and funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, found that 98 percent of Ukrainians believe they will win the war. Ninety-one percent, meanwhile, say they support President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The institute released the findings the day after satellite photos showed blast craters and at least eight wrecked warplanes after explosions at a Russian base in Crimea, which Zelensky said were part of a Ukrainian counterattack. The Associated Press reported Thursday that Russia is struggling to replenish troops as it suffers massive losses. The Kremlin’s shadowy paramilitary organization has taken to offering amnesty to prisoners who agree to join the war effort, the AP found.

Another large majority of Ukrainians, 72 percent, support joining NATO—a jump of 13 points from May, the International Republican Institute found. Eighty percent also want to join the European Union, in stark contrast to the 1 percent who want to join an economic union with Russia.

Sixty-four percent go so far as to say Ukraine will “maintain all territories from within its internationally recognized borders defined in 1991,” which include the Russia-controlled territories of Crimea and the Donbas.

Other European countries are also showing increased confidence that Ukraine will beat back Russia. German chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Thursday that his country will host an international conference on how to rebuild Ukraine after the war. Germany, the United Kingdom, and Denmark, meanwhile, announced they would increase military aid to Ukraine.