56% of Ukrainians do not expect war to end before second half of 2027 – KIIS. PHOTO
More than half of Ukrainians – 56% – expect the war to continue until at least the second half of 2027. Despite these forecasts, 62% of respondents say they are prepared to endure the war for as long as necessary.
This is according to the results of a survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) on October 8–16, 2026, Censor.NET reports.
When Ukrainians expect the war to end
According to the survey, only 10% of respondents believe the war will end by the end of 2026.
Another 13% expect it to end in the first half of 2027.
Meanwhile, 56% of respondents predict that hostilities will continue until the second half of 2027 or longer. Another 21% were undecided.
KIIS notes that these results indicate that expectations of a prolonged war prevail among Ukrainians.
62% of Ukrainians are prepared to endure the war for as long as necessary
Despite expectations of a prolonged war, most respondents say they are prepared to endure it without a defined time limit.
Specifically, 62% of respondents said they were prepared to endure the war for as long as necessary.
Another 4% considered one year an acceptable period, while 21% said between a few months and six months. A further 13% were undecided.
The sociologists also compared the results of interviews conducted on different days in October.
Among respondents interviewed on October 8–9, 60% expressed a willingness to endure the war for as long as necessary. Among those interviewed on October 10–16, the figure was 63%.
The difference is within the statistical margin of error.
"We also see no evidence that the pressure campaign has led to demoralisation at this point," KIIS stressed.
The sociologists paid particular attention to sentiment among Kyiv residents. According to their data, despite the pressure on residents of the capital, the overwhelming majority remain prepared to endure the war for as long as necessary. This figure has not changed significantly compared with mid-September.
92% of Ukrainians view Russian strikes as an attempt to force Ukraine to capitulate
During the survey, respondents were also asked about the purpose of Russian strikes on Ukraine’s economic facilities.
The overwhelming majority – 92% – believe that Russia is trying to destroy Ukraine’s economy and make life unbearable for the population in order to force Ukraine to capitulate.
A different view is held by 5% of respondents.
Specifically, 3% believe that Russia is supposedly carrying out strikes in response to Ukrainian attacks on its economic facilities.
Another 2% are convinced that Russian troops attack only facilities connected to the military and do not aim to destroy Ukraine’s economy.
How the survey was conducted
The Kyiv International Institute of Sociology conducted its nationwide Omnibus public opinion survey from October 8 to 16, 2026.
Using telephone interviews based on a random sample of mobile phone numbers, researchers surveyed 1,031 adult Ukrainian citizens living in territory controlled by the Ukrainian government.
The sample excluded residents of temporarily occupied territories and citizens who had moved abroad after February 24, 2022. However, internally displaced people were included among the respondents.
Under normal circumstances, the maximum statistical margin of error for figures close to 50% does not exceed 4 percentage points. The sociologists note that additional systematic biases are possible during wartime, but consider the results sufficiently representative for analysing public sentiment.
