Forever war in Ukraine loses majority support

For the first time since Russia's invasion, a majority of Ukrainians no longer support indefinite war.

For the first time since Russia’s invasion in 2022, support for fighting “as long as necessary” has slipped below 50% in Ukraine according to recent polling from the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology.

Only 48% of respondents now support indefinite war, according to KIIS. A third of Ukrainians now say they only support another year or less of fighting, with an additional 19% expressing ambivalence.

These numbers mark an important shift in public opinion. Last August, Gallup reported that Ukrainian belief that they should “continue fighting until [they] win the war” had reached a low of 24% — yet 62% insisted that they could continue fighting indefinitely. This new drop is a more direct measure of popular morale, and suggests that the Ukrainian stance towards the war may be moving from pessimism to exhaustion.