More than Three Out of Five Ukrainians have had a Close Friend or Family Member Killed or Wounded in War Against Russia, Kyiv Poll Finds

Paul Goble

            Staunton, June 1 – More than three out of five Ukrainians still resident in unoccupied portions of that country, some 63 percent, have had a close friend or family member killed or wounded in the fighting against the Russian invaders, according to a poll conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KISS).

            The KISS sociologists stress that their telephone poll is representative of all Ukrainians still living in Ukraine but does not take into account the many who have fled the country in the course of the war (kiis.com.ua/?lang=rus&cat=reports&id=1254&page=1 and doxa.team/news/2023-06-30-grief).

            As one would expect, those living closer to the front lines have suffered more than those living farther away; but the share of Ukrainians who have suffered such losses is across the board so large that few of them will forget the costs of this war or forgive Moscow for launching it, making any rapprochement of the two countries or nations unlikely anytime soon.