Ukrainians back refinery strikes despite potential US aid cuts

The conflict at the center of the current political debate is simple: will Ukrainians keep striking Russian energy assets if Washington stops paying? A new survey suggests they will.

The Kyiv International Institute of Sociology released data on October 28, 2026. It shows that 80% of respondents support launching attacks on Russian oil refineries. This support holds firm even if the United States halts or limits its aid to Ukraine. Only 11% of those polled said strikes should stop. The remaining 8% were undecided.

The institute conducted the survey by telephone between October 16 and October 25, 2026. Interviewers spoke with 828 adult citizens aged 18 and older. All participants lived in government-controlled regions of Ukraine at the time of the call.

The results show a population willing to endure the war for an extended period. Specifically, 63% of respondents are prepared to continue the conflict for as long as necessary. Another 5% expect the war to last one more year. A smaller group, representing 21%, cited a shorter timeframe ranging from a few months to half a year. The last 11% had not decided how much longer they could sustain the effort.

The formal statistical margin of error for this sample does not exceed 4.4% for indicators near 50%. It is lower for other ranges, dropping to 1.9% for indicators near 5%. The institute noted that wartime conditions introduce systematic deviations beyond these formal margins.