Thanks ESay. There are a few such interviews from people from the eastern part of the country. But they are just anecdotes and don't give me a sense whether it is commonplace or not, and plus I don't really trust journos anyway.
You are there, and your response tells me that it's not even something you think about- that makes me think that what I have read isn't necessarily representative of Russian speakers writ large.
I'm more interested in your take wrt the mood in Ukraine. On one end there will be people who say "fight to the bitter end, never surrender, death before capitulation". The other end would say "I just want it to be over at whatever cost". Which voice is louder?
If I was in that position I would fight it out to the finish. But I'm not from there, and don't know how the average Ukrainian really sees this. My impression is that defiance is the prevailing mood, but that impression comes from western and Ukrainian media sources. I can imagine there is some (justifiable) trepidation about western support that tempers that view.