January 06, 2025

Russians Unaffected by War


Russians Unaffected by War
Moscow's Red Square with a giant smiley face ball. Vyacheslav Argenberg, Wikimedia Commons.

Dissident Russian publication Verstka discovered the results of a poll conducted by The Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) where nearly 30 percent of Russians said that the country's war in Ukraine was not affecting their lives in any way. The survey demonstrates that the population has become both used to and exhausted by the war. 

The war has become a backdrop in ordinary Russian's lives. The RAS poll, conducted in April 2024, showed that 29 percent Russians said they were "unaffected" by Russia's invasion of its neighbors, a three-point increase from the previous year. Despite government efforts to create illusions of stability, the survey showed that 12 percent of respondents reported that their daily expenses had grown since the start of the war. This percentage has grown by three points since 2023. 

Despite all of this, the poll demonstrated how connected many Russians are to the frontlines. One in 10 participants reported knowing a friend or family member fighting in the neighboring country. Some 4.3 percent of respondents said they knew someone who was killed or injured while at the front. This percentage has grown by one point since 2023. The survey showed that a quarter of Russians' report that their health deteriorated due to anxiety and fear of a nuclear war.

The poll also showed a drastic change in what Russians' believe are the goals of the war. In 2022, 26 percent of Russians believed their country should "liberate all Ukraine." By 2024, that number dropped to 15 percent. Exhausted by the prolongation of the invasion into a two-year war, Russians seem to want less and less Ukrainian territory. In 2022, only 14 percent of respondents said they would be happy if Russia conquered only a part of Ukraine and left Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, and other western regions of Ukraine untouched. The number of participants who wished the same thing rose to 20 percent in 2024.

Last year's survey also showed that 19 percent of Russians thought that the goal of the war was to "liberate" Donetsk and Lugansk. Yet 20 percent of respondents still wanted to capture "territory that once belonged to "Malorussia," which means they desired the complete annexation of Ukraine.

One out of four poll participants refused to answer the question of what tasks should be included in the "special military operation." Only one percent of respondents echoed the sentiments in President Vladimir Putin's speech at the start of the full-scale invasion, saying Russia should "destroy fascism, Nazisim, [and] Banderism" and "Ukraine, as a state, should not exist." 

You Might Also Like

A Pro-War Childhood?
  • October 31, 2024

A Pro-War Childhood?

Russian children are being instilled with militant patriotism through plays, stories, cartoons, and toys.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Murder at the Dacha
July 01, 2013

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

Fearful Majesty
July 01, 2014

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.

Russian Rules
November 16, 2011

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

White Magic
June 01, 2021

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas
October 01, 2013

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.

 

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955