Nearly half of Ukrainians aged 18 to 55 say they are ready to participate directly in the fighting against the Russian invasion, according to a survey compiled by a Norwegian research center despite the constraints of the war.
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For men, this share climbs to around 70%, while it is around 30% for women, according to this opinion poll conducted by the Oslo Peace Research Institute (PRIO) with the support from local pollster Info Sapiens.
The latter interviewed more than 1,000 Ukrainians considered to be old enough to resist, with the aim of establishing a representative sample, despite the difficulties of establishing a survey in the midst of the war.
Questioned during the third week of the conflict (March 9-12), the respondents – men and women in equal proportions – answered via the internet on their attitudes towards four options of resistance.
To “help the resistance by engaging in direct military combat on open ground against Russian or pro-Russian forces”, 49% of respondents answered that this choice would be for them “extremely likely, moderately likely or somewhat likely”, according to PRIO .
To “help the resistance by directly engaging in military combat in fortified positions of Ukrainian forces,” the total of responses suggesting engagement is close at 47%.
Three quarters (75%) say they are ready to volunteer “to help victims of war, for example civilians and wounded soldiers”, and 80% are ready to “help the resistance to provide non-military support to the forces Ukrainian (food, information, ammunition…)”, according to PRIO.
“The motivation of the Ukrainian people to fight the invaders is extraordinary,” notes the Norwegian institute in an analysis of this poll published on Saturday.
After a month of conflict, Ukraine’s resistance has surprised many military analysts, and the Russian offensive now appears largely frozen.
The survey also finds that motivation to resist increases as respondents have been directly affected by Russian attacks.
At the time of the survey, one in five respondents said they had been directly attacked by Russian or pro-Russian forces, and this was also the section most willing to engage.
“The determination with which the Ukrainians will fight will grow in proportion to the terror directed against them,” said study co-author Henrikas Bartusevicius.
According to think tank Norwegian pollster Info Sapiens used panels set up before the war to contact respondents.