In April, Russians remembered most of all Putin’s address to the Federal Assembly. Respondents also paid attention to the news about Alexei Navalny, the deterioration of the situation in Donbas and the deterioration of relations with the West.
Publications
Escalation in southeast Ukraine
Half of Russians (48%) believe that the United States and NATO are to blame for the escalation in eastern Ukraine. Equal proportions of Russians (43%) believe that Russia should or should not intervene in the conflict on the side of the DPR/LPR in the event of a large-scale war. Intervention is mainly supported by older groups of respondents, while young groups do not support it. The majority (65%) would support the DPR/LPR joining Russia if asked to do so.
Vladimir Putin’s address to the federal assembly
The 2021 address to the Federal Assembly was less popular than the 2020 address. Older groups of respondents watched the address more than younger respondents. Half of the Russians (54%) who have heard something about the address believe that it will have an impact on life in the country, which is slightly less than last […]
Crimea
The majority of Russians (86%) support the annexation of Crimea. 69% believe that the accession has done Russia more good than harm. At the same time, 71% do not believe that Russia has violated international agreements by annexing Crimea. There have been no significant changes on these issues in recent years.
Lev Gudkov: “The unity of the empire in Russia is maintained by three institutions: the school, the army, and the police”
December 26, 2021, will mark 30 years since the Soviet Union was officially dissolved. Lev Gudkov, spoke about Russia’s conservative revanche, the reproduction of Soviet myths, the stability of authoritarian power, and the “double consciousness” of the Russian people.
Twitter blocking
More than a half of Russians (54%) heard about Roskomnadzor’s intention to block Twitter. Opinions about the purpose of the blocking are divided – 40% believe it is necessary to combat extremism, 37% believe that blocking Twitter is aimed at restricting freedom of speech. This is primarily the opinion of young people and the audience of Telegram channels.
The decision of the trial of Alexey Navalny
82% of Russians are aware of the decision of the trial of Alexey Navalny. The youngest and oldest groups of respondents followed the situation most closely. Almost half (48%) of those surveyed believe the court decision is fair, while 29% believe it is unfair. 50% of respondents among young people consider the decision unfair. Among those who consider the decision unfair 61% would like the politician to be released as soon as possible.
Ukraine and Donbas
Against the backdrop of the escalating conflict over Donbas, the attitude of Russians to Ukraine has deteriorated. Mostly older groups of Russians worsened their attitude. The opinion of young people has not changed. 28% of Russians think that the DPR and LPR should become independent states, another quarter (25%) is in favor of the republics becoming a part of Russia. A third of Russians are sure that the conflict will drag on for a long time.
Religiosity during the pandemic
In a March survey, 10 percent of Russians said the coronavirus epidemic had affected their faith, while 28 percent thought it had affected the country as a whole. We compare the data with the results of an international survey conducted in the summer of 2020.
The law on educational activities
The majority (71%) of Russians have not heard anything about the law about educational activities. 29% are well aware of it or have heard something about it. One-third of Russians (36 %) believe the law is intended to increase censorship, a view that prevails among those who have heard about the law, new media readers, and young people. Another 30% of respondents believe that the purpose of the law is to protect against anti-Russian propaganda; this viewpoint is more popular among older groups of respondents, as well as among television and radio listeners.