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
[INVALID]
[INVALID]

Some of our Books

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.

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

Murder and the Muse
December 12, 2016

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.

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.

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.

93 Untranslatable Russian Words
December 01, 2008

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.

A Taste of Russia
November 01, 2012

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

Bears in the Caviar
May 01, 2015

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

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