Half of Ukrainians ready to take up arms against Russia: Poll

Around 70 per cent of men and 30 per cent of women said they were willing to take up arms. PHOTO: REUTERS

OSLO (AFP) - Nearly half of Ukrainians aged 18 to 55 are ready to fight to defend their country against Russia, a poll conducted by European scholars suggested on Saturday (March 26).

Around 70 per cent of men and 30 per cent of women said they were willing to take up arms, according to the survey carried out by the Peace Research Institute of Oslo (Prio) with the help of local pollsters Info Sapiens.

Info Sapiens questioned more than 1,000 Ukrainians considered of age to defend their country - half of them men and half women - in an attempt to create a representative sample despite the challenges posed by conducting a survey during a war.

Surveyed from March 9 to 12, during the third week of the conflict, the respondents answered online questions about their attitudes towards four types of resistance.

When presented with the statement, "If the war continues, I will help the resistance by joining direct military combat in open battles against the Russian or pro-Russian forces", 49 per cent responded positively.

Around 47 per cent said they would be willing to "help the resistance by joining direct military combat in fortified defence positions of the Ukrainian forces".

Meanwhile, 80 per cent said they were prepared to "help the resistance by providing non-military support to the Ukrainian forces (for example, deliver food, information or ammunition)".

Finally, 75 per cent said they would "serve as a volunteer to help the Ukrainian victims of war (for example, care for injured civilians and soldiers)".

The survey also showed that Ukrainians' willingness to take part in the resistance rose if they or their loved ones were directly affected by Russia's attacks.

At the time of the survey, one in five said they had been directly attacked by Russian or pro-Russian forces, and they were those most willing to take part in the resistance.

"Ukrainians' motivation to resist the invaders is staggering," the research institute said in a commentary.

A month into the conflict, the strength of Ukraine's resistance has surprised many military analysts, while the Russian offensive appears to have stagnated.

"The fierceness with which Ukrainians will fight will grow proportionally with the terror directed against them," one of the authors of the study, Dr Henrikas Bartusevicius, wrote.

According to Prio, Info Sapiens used panels it had set up before the war to contact respondents.

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