There is a place in Kiev where the weight of human life feels almost tangible for Ukraine as the nation endures a price estimated in the hundreds of days since the Russian occupation began—Independence Square. This square, with its flower beds and lawns, is guarded by a statue of a berehynia and has long hosted the country’s most pivotal events and revolutions in recent history. It has become a makeshift memorial where passersby tie ribbons in yellow and blue and whisper the names of those familiar to them, including friends and neighbors who fell in battle or were struck by shelling.
Victoria Myshjoriz, recently thirty years old, left a brief note on the back of a badge honoring his brother Viltor, eight years his junior, just before a tearful farewell. The message can be read as “One day we will play the flute together.” He had received a letter on a bright summer day. A call from a friend arrived soon after—a phone number noted as a contact in case something happened. The voice on the other end conveyed that his brother was missing during a military operation. The sense of confusion and loss lingered. All that remained of his brother’s final days was that he had been killed by shelling while conducting a reconnaissance mission on the Dnipro front. The plaza remains the primary site where loved ones can pay their respects. The message is clear: forgiveness is not the aim, and forgetting is not possible. The aggressor country has only memory and resentment to offer; the warning is plain—Russia’s presence threatens of stripping away not just property but identity itself.
Human losses are immense. About 80 percent of Ukrainians say they know a friend, acquaintance, or relative who has been killed or wounded on the battlefield. A larger share confirms knowing someone who has died. Yet polls indicate that this brutal reality has not driven a universal desire to end the conflict at any cost. Instead, many Ukrainians feel they are fighting for survival, awaiting a decisive victory or security guarantees from Western partners that would deter a new invasion. A Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) survey conducted in May shows nearly 85 percent favor continuing the war and resisting concessions to Russia. This stance has persisted since the outset of the conflict [KIIS poll, Kyiv International Institute of Sociology].
According to Anton Grushetski, chief executive of KIIS, Ukrainians view the war not merely as a clash between armies but as a broader struggle involving sovereignty, negotiations, and the risk that any negotiated settlement could be leveraged by Russia for renewed aggression. He notes that many Ukrainians do not trust the idea that territorial concessions would halt Moscow’s expansion. Oleksi Haran, a professor of comparative politics at Kyiv-Mohyla University and director of the Democratic Initiatives Foundation, adds that a long history of harassment, online trolls, and hybrid campaigns has fostered skepticism toward Russia and its leadership under Vladimir Putin. The sense is that if the 2014 ceasefire failed once, it could fail again unless Russia’s security guarantees are credible and robust.
The country’s wartime experience has strengthened a national identity that rejects the idea of tolerating a neighbor’s dominance. Analysts say Ukrainians increasingly see alignment with Western institutions such as NATO and the European Union as essential to their future. In regions where Russian is widely spoken, including cities like Mariupol and Kharkiv, many residents now resist any association with Moscow and prefer life aligned with Western norms. A notable portion of the population—around half—believes Russian should no longer be taught in schools, while others express concern about language policy in the east. Grushetsky argues that in some eastern areas, a portion of residents would support removing Russian from school curricula, reflecting a shift in identity and loyalties. The broader conclusion is that Ukraine’s sense of self has evolved from a history of internal divisions toward a unified objective centered on sovereignty, security guarantees from the West, and sustained integration with Western economic and defense structures.