Poll: Over half of Ukrainians will actively resist Russian invasion

More than half of Ukrainians will actively resist in the event of an all-out Russian invasion, according to a new survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology published on Dec. 17.

The Kremlin has amassed nearly 100,000 troops surrounding Ukraine in November in what Ukrainian and Western intelligence see as a threat of invasion in early 2022.

The poll showed that 33.3% of Ukrainians will put up armed resistance if Russia starts large-scale military actions. Another 21.7% said they will participate in civil resistance like protests, strikes, demonstrations, boycotts, marches and public disobedience. In total, 50.2% of respondents chose one or both of the above options.

Among the remainder of the surveyed people, 18.1% would do nothing, 14.8% would go to a safer region of Ukraine, 9.3% would seek refuge abroad, and 13.2% did not know how to respond or refused to answer.

The survey was conducted between Dec. 3-11 and interviewed 2,000 people in all regions of Ukraine except for occupied territories of Donetsk and Crimea. The survey allowed participants to select multiple answers to the question.

Ukrainians have been vocal in the face of looming Russian aggression. There was a social media campaign #UkrainiansWillResist that people joined to show that they will not accept ultimatums from the Kremlin.