Most Ukrainians believe that the country was not sufficiently prepared for Russia's invasion in February 2022. They place the responsibility for this on both the government and themselves. This is evidenced by the results of the survey KMIS.
According to the study, 81% of respondents believe that Ukraine was not sufficiently prepared. Of these, 37% believe that efforts were partial, and 44% believe that they were completely insufficient.
Only 16% of respondents said the country had done enough, among them 14% assessed the actions as "rather sufficient" and 2% as "completely sufficient."
Reasons for lack of readiness
Among those who consider Ukraine unprepared, 46% blame the political authorities, who, in their opinion, did not make the necessary efforts. Another 35% speak of a lack of readiness among the population itself, which did not believe in the invasion.
Respondents also cited Russia's excessive resources (21%), the influence of pro-Russian forces (17%), military command errors (15%), insufficient support from the West (15%), and the impossibility of full preparation in a short time (14%).
Commentary of KMIS
Deputy Director of KIIS Anton Hrushetsky noted that critical reflection on experience should become part of the strategy for future actions.
"Learning from its own mistakes comes at a very high price for Ukraine, but the conclusions drawn should become an important component of the strategy for further actions," — he said.
At the same time, the expert emphasized that public opinion is not an accurate indicator of the real level of preparation, because Ukrainians assess the situation rather through the prism of trust in the authorities and the influence of information warfare.
According to sociologists, discussions about preparations for war should remain constructive. Despite criticism of past actions, Ukrainians maintain faith in victory: 76% are confident in the possibility of defeating Russia, and 62% are ready to endure as long as necessary.
The KIIS survey was conducted from September 19 to 28, 2025 among 1029 respondents across Ukraine.
