The Russians are gradually indifferent to the war in Ukraine?

Reports over the past two months have raised growing concerns in the Kremlin about President Vladimir Putin’s plans and the long-term damage that “special military operations” will do to Russia.

According to Levada Center polling data at the end of April 2022, fewer Russians are paying attention to the military campaign than at the end of March 2022.

Less than 60% said they were keeping a close eye on the events of the war, and that number is on the decline. Of these, 26% claim to be viewing reports “very carefully” and 33% “quite carefully”.

Samuel Ramani, Associate at the Royal United Services Institute for Security and Defense Studies, describes the results as “very remarkable”.

He argued in a Twitter post: “Despite Russian media calls for general mobilization in support of the war and repeated warnings about World War III, apathy towards the war is growing. increase in this country”.

Indifference to hostilities became especially strong among young Russians.

Only 36% of 18-24 year olds said they watched the hostilities continuously. This is in stark contrast to 71% of older Russians.

Almost half (48%) of those surveyed believe that the hostilities have lasted too long.

Before the campaign began, Russia enacted a law warning that those who spread “false” information about the war could face up to 15 years in prison. According to Speaker of the State Duma (lower house) Vyacheslav Volodin, this is a “very tough” response to those who “make statements that discredit the Russian armed forces”.

Bloomberg once quoted several unnamed officials within the Kremlin, raising deep concerns about the long-term impact of the war, especially when Russia is isolated on the world stage.

The Levada poll surveyed 1,616 people aged 18 and over, in both urban and rural areas.