Rising support for peace talks in Russia despite Moscow's war fervour
More and more Russians are favouring the initiating peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. The independent Levada Center, which has been conducting anonymous surveys in Russia for many years, drew these conclusions. At the same time, the greatest support for the war is exhibited by the residents of Moscow.
The war in Ukraine has been ongoing for over two and a half years. During this period, the conflict has witnessed significant fluctuations, resulting in a war of attrition currently being fought on both sides. This increasingly affects Russian residents, who are beginning to contemplate initiating peace talks with Ukraine.
The latest results presented by the independent Levada Center suggest this, noting the first increase in peace talk supporters in the past six months. In a survey conducted at the end of June, 58% of respondents supported peace talks.
The residents of the so-called hinterlands are decidedly more keen on ending the war, as in Moscow itself, 56% of respondents supported the war.
In a survey conducted at the end of June, 58% of respondents supported peace negotiations. As noted by the Levada Center, this is the maximum value recorded during the survey; previous peaks occurred in October 2022 and November 2023 – both at 57%. At the same time, 37% of respondents believe that military actions should continue, reports the independent Russian portal Meduza.
Russians primarily blame the United States
Although the desire to halt military actions has increased, Russians' dislike for NATO and the United States remains unchanged. A significant 65% of Russian residents blame them for the war, in which hundreds of thousands of people are dying. Similarly, 58% of survey respondents believe the Ukraine war could spread to other European countries.
The survey results also confirm the effectiveness of Russian propaganda, which uses nuclear weapons as a means of intimidation. Almost one-third of respondents believe that their use in Ukraine would be justified, while 52% are opposed to it.
It is worth noting that since April 2023, the number of supporters of this solution has increased by five percentage points.
