Almost 80% of Ukrainians have relatives or friends wounded or killed due to Russia’s war

The vast majority of Ukrainians – 78% – have close relatives or friends who have been injured or killed by the Russian invasion, according to the results of a sociological survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) on May 26-June 5, 2023.

Flags symbolizing Ukrainians killed in the war on the Independence Square in Kyiv, Ukraine

The overwhelming majority of the population has close relatives or friends who have been injured or killed due to the Russian invasion in all regions of Ukraine. The figure ranges from 70% in the East to 80% in the West.

“Russia’s war against Ukraine has shaped a tragic collective experience for most Ukrainians. In all corners of Ukraine, most of the population has relatives or friends injured or killed by the Russian invasion. Both Westerners and Easterners are experiencing the same terrible losses caused by Russia. We can talk about the pain of Ukrainians for their losses and their fierce anger at their enemies,” emphasized Anton Grushetsky, Executive Director of KIIS.

Thus, on average, respondents have seven close relatives or friends injured or killed.

At the same time, 64% of Ukrainians have at least one close relative or friend who was wounded, and 63% have at least one close relative or friend who was killed.

“Having this context, it becomes clear why Russian propaganda about ‘common history’ is so futile in Ukraine… Although the Second World War was a great tragedy for Ukrainians, this experience is quite distant. Now, Ukrainian families have experienced grief that continues to this day,” added Hrushetsky.

The Kyiv International Institute of Sociology conducted its all-Ukrainian public opinion poll, “Omnibus,” from May 26 to June 5, 2023. The survey was conducted by telephone interviews using a computer based on a random sample of mobile phone numbers.

The researchers surveyed 2013 adult respondents living in all regions of Ukraine (except Crimea, Sevastopol, and certain districts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts).

As a reminder, the United Nations has confirmed 9,083 deaths and 15,779 injuries of civilians in Ukraine since the end of February of last year as a result of the full-scale invasion by the Russian army. The actual number of casualties is much higher, as information from some areas of intense fighting is delayed, and many reports still need to be confirmed.