While the number of Ukrainians nostalgic for the USSR dropped after the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine in 2014, it really plummeted after the invasion of 22 February, a September-October poll by the Razumkov Center has found: nearly 90% of Ukrainians don’t want to restore the USSR.
86.5% of Ukrainians answered they would not like to restore the Soviet Union, while 10.6% answered they want this but understand it is impossible nowadays. 2.7% answered “yes.”
Before the full-blown Russian invasion, in June 2021, the number of those who did not want to restore the USSR was smaller, 69.3%, and the total number of those harboring Soviet nostalgia was 31.6%.
Back in 2000, Ukrainians were nearly split 50:50. 52.6% did not want to restore the USSR, while 18.9% definitely wanted to and 28.5% wanted to but understood this is impossible.
Region-wise, predictably, Ukrainians living in the west had the least nostalgia for the USSR, with 93% answering they would not want to see it restored, while those in the south and east had relatively higher levels of Soviet nostalgia (72.2% and 81% said they would not want to see it restored, respectively).
Age-wise, the youngest Ukrainians were least favorable towards restoring the Soviet Union (95% of those aged 18-29 years answered “no”), but the older generation overwhelmingly rejected this possibility, as well (88.6% of those aged 50-59 answered “no”).
