In This Story
By Karina Korostelina & Gerard Toal on July 11, 2023
In an earlier piece we discussed how Ukrainians living in front-line areas, the great majority of whom are Russian speakers, see their own nation and how they perceive Russia and Russian citizens. This blog addresses their opinions regarding war and a path to victory and peace.
Our research in 2022 showed that Ukrainians living at the front were torn when faced with the real life-or-death dilemmas of this war but that they overwhelmingly rejected territorial concessions in return for peace. We also found generational differences in perceptions: younger Ukrainians were more optimistic about taking back all Ukrainian territories, while the older generations showed a stronger readiness for negotiation. A repeated survey of 500 individuals from this group (305 internally displaced persons, 195 local residents) in April 2023 revealed what this distinctive group of Ukrainians think about the war, victory, and a path to peace after fourteen months of war.
Read the full article in Focus Ukraine, a blog of the Kennan Institute at the Wilson Center.