80% of Ukrainians back refinery strikes even if US cuts aid, KIIS poll finds

Four in five Ukrainians support striking Russian oil refineries even if the United States withdraws assistance — including intelligence and Starlink support — according to a poll released by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS).

The survey posed a specific scenario: Washington demands an end to refinery attacks and threatens to pull aid, while Russia makes no commitments to halt strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Under those conditions, 80% of respondents backed continuing the attacks. Only 11% favoured stopping them and 8% were undecided.

Separately, 76% said they supported continued armed resistance even if Russian strikes left people without electricity, heating and sewage services during winter. By contrast, 15% said they would accept any Russian demands under those conditions, even if the terms amounted to capitulation. Another 9% were undecided.

KIIS noted attitudes on the resistance question had not changed significantly since its August–September survey. Asked how long they could endure the war, 63% said they were prepared to continue for as long as necessary, while 21% named a period ranging from several months to six months.

KIIS executive director Anton Hrushetskyi said Ukrainians retained the will to continue resistance until an acceptable outcome was achieved.

The findings come after US President Donald Trump announced a diesel agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Oct. 9, followed by a US Treasury licence authorising transactions involving Russian diesel. President Volodymyr Zelensky criticised the decision; in an Oct. 18 interview he said he had proposed halting refinery strikes in exchange for additional Patriot missiles.