Two-thirds of respondents have heard about the participation of PMCs in Ukrainian military operations on the side of Russia. Respondents mostly support the use of such combat units.
Publications
Conflict with Ukraine: September 2022
After the announcement of partial mobilization, attention to the Ukrainian events and concern about what is happening have increased dramatically. The news about the partial mobilization caused fear in society. Support for the actions of the Russian military remains high, but the number of those who advocate the start of negotiations has increased.
Trust in public institutions
The August measurement recorded a significant increase in confidence in all state and public institutions compared to last year. Similar sharp sentiment changes were observed in 2014. The president, the army, the state security agencies, the government and the church enjoy the greatest trust today.
Approval of institutions, ratings of parties and politicians
In September, against the background of the announcement of partial mobilization, the level of approval of the main institutions of power decreased. Confidence has also decreased that things are going in the right direction in the country. However, the estimates remain high.
Attitude towards countries and their citizens
Negative assessments continue to prevail in relation to the USA, the EU, Estonia and Ukraine. The attitude towards Georgia and Turkey is mostly positive (with a noticeable share of negative assessments). Respondents have a positive attitude towards China and Belarus. The attitude to the citizens of these countries is better than to each country individually.
Western sanctions
More than half of Russians are not concerned about Western sanctions. At the same time, by August, this concern had grown slightly. Middle-income respondents and residents of large cities are most concerned about sanctions. At the same time the prevailing opinion is that sanctions will benefit the country and become an incentive for development.
Trips abroad
About 41% of Russians have been abroad, 20% — in the West. At the same time, no more than 5% of respondents have traveled abroad over the past year. A quarter of Russians have a passport for traveling abroad.
Approval of institutions, ratings of politicians
In July, the level of government approval did not change significantly. The electoral ratings of other political parties have barely changed. The level of trust in Vladimir Putin decreased in July compared to June.
Public opinion on the fate of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine
Most of the respondents believe that Zaporizhia and Kherson should become either part of Russia or independent states. More than half approve of holding referendums in the territories controlled by Russia in these regions, but a significant proportion of respondents do not care. Two-thirds of respondents would support the inclusion of Ukrainian regions into Russia if such a decision is made through referendums.
Conflict with Ukraine: August 2022
Half of the respondents are following the situation around Ukraine, but their share continues to decline smoothly. Support for the actions of the Russian armed forces in Ukraine remains high, there are no significant changes on this issue. The society was almost equally divided on the question of whether to continue the offensive or to start negotiations. Confidence continues to grow that the “special operation” will last more than six months.