Ukraine at war: Battered by Russia and winter but unbending

Oleksiy Antypovych of the Ukrainian polling outfit Rating Group explained that the number of people fed up with endless Russian attacks and this year's extremely cold winter weather is growing but despite these very trying circumstances, Ukrainians remain unwilling to give in to the Kremlin's demands and accept peace at any price.

Andriy Bychenko of the Ukrainian Razumkov Center sees it similarly. "A majority of Ukrainians know, from recent events as well as history, that capitulation and the signing of an unfavorable peace agreement will not make things better. You don't need to explain anything to the Ukrainians about who the Russians really are and how this all began. They saw it firsthand in the Kherson, Kharkiv and Kyiv regions. Public opinion on this is not shifting much. That's why, despite it all, Ukraine is still holding on," he told DW.

A poll conducted by the Kyiv International Institute for Sociology (KIIS) between January 9 and 14 found that the overwhelming majority of Ukrainians (69%) continue to view Russia's war of aggression as an existential threat, with people convinced Russia will ultimately either "carry out a genocide," or "destroy the Ukrainian nation and its statehood." That number was at 66% in February 2025, Nevertheless, 77% of those polled said Ukraine had the power to continue to resist Russia despite its advances.

Ukraine at war: Battered by Russia and winter but unbending