Over 20% of Ukrainians say they are fully willing to defend country in combat — poll

This is according to a survey conducted by the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation.

When asked how willing they would be to defend Ukraine as a combatant, 32.9% said they are not willing at all, 37.2% said not very willing, 20.2% said fully willing, and 5.1% said very willing. An additional 4.4% said they have already defended Ukraine.

“Younger respondents are more likely to say they are fully or very willing to participate — from 19% among those aged 60 and older, to 32% among those aged 18 to 29. Among women, 21% expressed full or strong willingness, compared to 31% of men. Among native Russian speakers, 17% are fully or very willing to participate, compared to 26% of native Ukrainian speakers,” the Foundation noted.

When it comes to volunteering in combat zones, 38% of respondents said they are fully or very willing to do so, while 2.7% said they have already had such experience. At the same time, 59.1% said they are not willing or not very willing to get involved as volunteers in combat zones.

Separately, 49.5% of Ukrainians said they are fully willing to assist with rescue efforts if there is no threat to their life or health.

As for overall preparedness, 13% of respondents said they feel fairly well-prepared to help defend the country, and 3.3% said they feel very well-prepared. However, 44.3% described themselves as “not very prepared,” and 39% said they are “not prepared at all.”

The survey was conducted face-to-face from November 29 to December 14, 2024, across all 23 government-controlled regions of Ukraine and in Kyiv. It included 1,518 adult Ukrainians, with a theoretical margin of error not exceeding 2.6%.

• As of the first half of May 2025, 74% of respondents said they trusted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, while 22% said they did not, according to a new KIIS survey.