Key Findings

Civilian firearms possession in Ukraine remains limited, likely due to regulatory policies and an ongoing supply–demand imbalance.
Having actively fought in the war or having a veteran or combatant in the household significantly influences individuals’ perceptions of firearm ownership in civilian life. Most notably, household firearm ownership jumps eightfold to 24% when respondents themselves have directly participated in fighting, compared to 3% among households where nobody has fought in the war, with many former combatants reporting that they carry various weapons for self-protection.
One year after the launch of the Unified Register of Weapons, the current survey found a sharp increase in awareness of the register among firearm-owning households to the extent that as of July 2024, 63% of firearm-owning households reported having (some of) their weapons recorded in the register, compared to 46% in December 2023.
Two-thirds of the general population never received any kind of formal firearm safety training. Nevertheless, the vast majority of armed households stated that all adults and adolescents in their home are aware of basic firearm safety in terms of both handling and storing a firearm, and overwhelmingly implement the tested safety measures, except for the separation of ammunition from firearms, which is reportedly upheld by only 36% of households keeping firearms at home.