Massive Russian drone and missile strikes on infrastructure and cities, prolonged daily outages of water, electricity and sometimes heating for 20 hours or more, and outside temperatures plunging to around -15°C: many Ukrainians are enduring a brutal winter.
Polls show public mood souring as exhaustion and stress grow, said Oleksiy Antypovych of the Rating Group. He noted that more people are fed up with the relentless attacks and the harsh weather, but stressed this reflects the emotional toll of four years of war rather than a shift in political loyalties. Ukrainians, he said, remain determined not to accept a peace that concedes to the Kremlin’s demands.
Analysts at the Razumkov Center echo that view. Andriy Bychenko said most Ukrainians understand—based on recent events and history—that capitulation or an unfavorable peace would not improve their situation. The experience of occupation and attacks in regions such as Kherson, Kharkiv and around Kyiv has hardened public opinion, leaving little appetite for concessions.
A Kyiv International Institute for Sociology (KIIS) poll taken January 9–14 found that 69% of respondents see Russia’s war as an existential threat—believing Russia will either carry out genocide or destroy Ukraine’s nationhood and statehood. That figure was 66% a year earlier. At the same time, 77% said Ukraine still has the capacity to continue resisting despite Russian advances. KIIS Executive Director Anton Grushetskyi said the results show Ukrainians remain resolute and largely optimistic about their ability to sustain effective resistance; only a small minority regard resistance as futile.
Relentless attacks and infrastructure damage have not pushed Ukrainians toward compromise, according to Oleh Saakyan of the National Platform for Resilience and Solidarity. Instead, continued belligerence has fueled exhaustion, anger and increased hostility toward Russia. Protests do occur, but Saakyan said they are generally local and aimed at specific municipal issues, not at Kyiv’s central government. Polling similarly indicates no significant rise in dissatisfaction with national leadership; many Ukrainians appear prepared to see the war through.
Experts argue that one of Russia’s critical miscalculations was underestimating Ukrainian social cohesion and civic organization. Military expert Oleksiy Kopytko noted that Ukrainians have extended the culture of mutual help—traditionally a family and friend practice—outward to strangers and wider communities, creating an informal network of support essential for survival. He added that social norms like shame attached to exploitative behavior have helped maintain trust and collective resilience.
Support for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy remains an important factor. Although 69% remain skeptical that current negotiations will produce lasting peace, many place their hopes and trust in Zelenskyy rather than in Russia, foreign leaders, or negotiating teams, Antypovych said. Political scientist Saakyan observed that broad domestic solidarity and clear public backing for the president strengthen Ukraine’s negotiating position; memories of the Minsk agreements and their failures make Ukrainians wary of any deal that could simply lead to renewed conflict.
Despite hardships, Ukrainians continue to find improvised solutions—warming stations, makeshift heating, community mutual aid—and to draw strength from solidarity. That social cohesion, experts contend, is a key asset sustaining resistance through the winter and beyond.
This article was translated from German by Jon Shelton.