On Ukraine’s Independence Day, tomorrow 24 August, half a year has passed since Russia launched its large-scale invasion. Although Western intelligence had warned of a high probability of such an invasion days before, and we sensed great unrest, we did not believe that Russia would benefit from a full-scale war. We, and many with us, were wrong. Several years of research in Ukraine had made it clear to us that Ukrainians, across ethnic, linguistic and religious divides, and different geopolitical orientations, feel a strong sense of belonging to their country. The Ukrainian people had become more united after the Maidan Revolution of 2013–14 with the subsequent Russian annexation of the Krym peninsula and military intervention in the Donbas region. We thought Putin would realize that he had too much to lose from such a large-scale invasion. But much suggests that Putin and his military advisers underestimated Ukrainian unity and resistance. Our colleagues in Dnipro, sociologists in Operatyvna sotsiologija, have given us access to results from their nationwide surveys. Although participation in the Russian-occupied territories is somewhat limited, and many Ukrainians are on the run, the figures give an indication of the mood in the severely tested country. There is little indication that the people intend to give up. Respondents report enormous losses and suffering. In the latest survey, which was carried out at the very end of July, just under 13 per cent of those questioned say that they have lost close friends or family as a result of the war. 9 percent report damage and destruction to their own home. The war has taken its worst toll on people who live or lived in the east of the country, in the Kharkiv region and Donbas. Here, for example, one in four says that their home has been damaged or destroyed. It is precisely in these areas that many of the Russian-speaking citizens live, which Russia has claimed a responsibility to defend the rights of. This is a form of defense that most of the residents there will probably be grateful for. Despite the losses and destruction, most Ukrainians are not willing to compromise with Russia to end the war. When Ukrainians are asked what conditions must be met for the country to enter into a peace agreement with Russia, 72 per cent respond that it must assume that all occupied areas, including Crimea, must be returned to Ukraine, as well as that Russia must pay war reparations. This proportion has increased from 66 per cent when the same question was asked in March. Only 3 percent say that a peace agreement with Russia should be concluded regardless of the terms, down from 5 percent in March. The war has also led to a violent mobilization of Ukrainian civil society. The survey at the end of July shows that the willingness to contribute is as great as it was at the beginning of the war: People help relatives and friends as well as strangers. Those who have financial resources stand up for those who have lost their house and home or their source of income in a crisis-hit economy. Only 15 per cent of the respondents say that they do not do any such forms of volunteering. Of course, international humanitarian aid is important, but it is the local effort that most people notice the most. Before the war, Ukrainians had exceptionally low trust in their own authorities and institutions. It was due to widespread corruption and the authorities’ lack of action against the oligarchs’ influence. Nevertheless, both the president and local leaders now enjoy markedly higher trust than before the invasion thanks to clear resistance and leadership in a time of crisis. Internal political disputes were put aside after the invasion, but now there are again more people who, for example, openly criticize President Zelenskyj. Nevertheless, both the president and the mayors in the larger cities still have great authority, the surveys show. At the same time that the unity between Ukrainians is as strong, if not even stronger, than at the beginning of the war, a fierce hatred of Russia and Russians has also developed. The liberal Ukrainian parliamentarian Serhiy Leshchenko, whom we have long followed because of his sober and critical analysis of Ukrainian politics, recently told in an interview with the independent Russian TV channel Dozhd TV how he finds joy in finding channels on internet showing the corpses of Russian military. He is not alone. Before 2014, the majority of Ukrainians had a positive attitude towards Russia. With its acts of war and war crimes, Russia has caused bad blood between people in Russia and Ukraine, probably for a long time to come. Read more here:
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Still united against Putin – Statement
