80% of Ukrainians back strikes on Russian refineries even if US cuts support, poll shows
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The vast majority of Ukrainians want Kyiv to continue striking Russian refineries, even if the U.S. threatens to end or curb its support, according to a survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) published on Oct. 28.
Some 80% of respondents back the continued strikes, even if Washington restricts intelligence sharing or Starlink operations. Only 11% said Ukraine should pause the attacks, despite Russia's ongoing attacks on the Ukrainian energy grid and other civilian facilities.
U.S. President Donald Trump has urged Kyiv to stop attacking Russian refineries, a key source of revenue for Moscow's federal budget that helps fund its war against Ukraine.
As Washington ramped up pressure, Ukraine said it had faced a temporary pause in U.S. intelligence sharing on incoming Russian ballistic missiles, restrictions on Starlink operations, and delays in Patriot air defense missile shipments.
The U.S. administration has denied ordering any restrictions to pressure Kyiv.
Trump unilaterally declared an energy truce between Ukraine and Russia on Oct. 11. Kyiv then largely suspended strikes against Russian refineries for three days, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
In the meantime, Russia has continued attacking Ukrainian energy facilities, driving fears about energy and heating outages as winter approaches.
According to the KIIS poll, 63% of Ukrainians are ready to endure the war as long as necessary, a rate that has remained largely stable since summer.
Some 76% of respondents supported continued armed resistance against Russia, even if Moscow's attacks in winter result in outages in electricity, heat, and sewage.
The survey was conducted between Oct. 16 and 25 through telephone interviews with 828 respondents living in the government-controlled territories.
