A record number of people in Russia are calling for an end to the war
More than 80% of Russians would like to see an end to the war against Ukraine right now. This is the highest figure since the full-scale invasion began.
In Russia, an increasing number of people want the war against Ukraine to end as soon as possible. According to the results of a new survey, 81% of Russians polled said they would like the fighting to end “as early as tomorrow.”
This was reported by the state-run project “I Want to Live,” which operates under the auspices of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War in conjunction with the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. It is noted that this is the highest level of support for ending the war among Russians since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. The authors of the study also pointed out that, for the first time, the war has become the main problem for a significant portion of Russian society.
According to the survey results, 33% of respondents cited the war itself as the country’s biggest problem. Low wages came in second, cited by 24% of respondents. Another 18% consider the constant rise in prices to be the main problem. The “I Want to Live” project believes that the reason for these sentiments is that ordinary Russian families are increasingly feeling the effects of the war.
The survey showed that 74% of respondents have relatives, friends, or acquaintances who have participated or are currently participating in the so-called “special military operation.” Another figure is even more telling: 31% of those surveyed have had or currently have a close family member on the front lines. As a result, for many Russians, the war has long since ceased to be something distant or abstract. It directly affects their families, acquaintances, and immediate circle.
Separately, researchers examined attitudes toward a possible new wave of mobilization. As the survey showed, 73% of Russians oppose a repeat of the mobilization that took place in the fall of 2022, when hundreds of thousands of men were drafted into the army. Only a small portion of those surveyed are willing to support another large-scale draft.
The “I Want to Live” project believes that the survey results indicate a gradual shift in public sentiment in Russia. “These results show that the sentiments of Russian society are increasingly diverging from the Kremlin’s official rhetoric,” the project’s authors noted.
At the same time, it is important to note that under Russia’s authoritarian system and wartime censorship, opinion polls may not fully reflect the population’s true sentiments. Some people may be afraid to openly express their views even in anonymous surveys.
Despite this, the data presented point to one trend: the war, which has been ongoing for more than three years, is having an increasingly strong impact on the lives of Russian society. And the longer the hostilities continue, the more often Russians speak not of the war continuing, but of their desire to see it end. These figures are provided by the “I Want to Live” project, citing a study by the Institute for Conflict Studies and Analysis of Russia.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine have sufficient personnel to rotate troops who have been in combat positions for more than 60 days. This was stated by Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi.
