Most Ukrainians support fighting until war is won: survey

An overwhelming majority of Ukrainians support continuing to fight the war against Russia until it is won, according to a new Gallup poll. 

The poll released Tuesday found 70 percent of Ukrainians support fighting Russia until Ukraine wins the war, while only 26 percent said they support negotiating an end to the war as soon as possible.

Pollsters found strong support for the war among all major demographics, but some groups support continuing the fighting as long as is necessary more than others. 

More than three-quarters of men support fighting until victory, while 64 percent of women said the same. Eight out of 10 Ukrainians with four years of education beyond a high school degree support continuing the war, while just over two-thirds who completed secondary education or less support doing so. 

Support for the war is the strongest in the western parts of the country, near the capital Kyiv, and in the central and northern parts of Ukraine. 

At least three-quarters of Ukrainians support continuing the war in these regions, but slimmer majorities of 56 percent and 58 percent in the east and south, where Russia has invaded, said they back continuing the war. 

More than 90 percent of those who said they support fighting until victory said success means Ukraine retaking all territory that Russia has taken since 2014, including the Crimea Peninsula. 

Russia has hammered Ukraine with missile and drone strikes for more than a week after an explosion on a bridge connecting Russia to Crimea, which Russia has blamed on Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said one-third of the country’s power stations have been destroyed, causing widespread blackouts. 

Multiple reports have stated that Russia is relying on Iranian drones to attack Ukraine, a claim that a spokesperson for the Kremlin has refused to confirm. 

Ukraine has retaken thousands of square kilometers of its territory from Russia during a counteroffensive it has conducted over the past month and a half.