In May 2025, attention to the Ukrainian events increased – more than half of the respondents are closely monitoring the situation. The share of respondents who support the actions of the Russian armed forces in Ukraine has increased slightly. The share of Russians in favor of peace talks reached two-thirds of the sample. The respondents named the Istanbul talks as one of the main events of the past month. The vast majority of Russians support these negotiations because they mean the return of prisoners of war and bring the conflict closer to resolution. Respondents who do not support the Istanbul talks explain this by saying that these negotiations will lead to nothing. The majority of respondents support the Russian formula of negotiations, in which the root causes are eliminated first and only then a cease-fire occurs. Respondents blame the Ukrainian side and European countries for their unwillingness to resolve the conflict.

In recent months, the overall level of attention to Ukrainian events has gradually decreased, but in May this year it increased again: more than half of the respondents – 58% – are closely monitoring the situation around Ukraine (the sum of the responses is “very carefully” and “quite carefully”), another third of respondents (31%) were following without much attention, and one in ten I didn’t follow at all.

Men (62%), older respondents (72% of respondents aged 55 and older), those who believe that things in the country are going in the right direction (62%), and those who approve of Putin’s activities are most closely following events around Ukraine. Putin is sweating at the president (60%), those for whom television is a source of information (66%), those who support the actions of the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine (65%), those who believe that military action should now be continued rather than peaceful negotiations (72%).

Women (56%), young people under 24 (36%), those who believe that things in the country are going the wrong way (55%), those who disapprove of the activities of the current president (52%), those for whom social networks are the source of information (57%), those who do not support the actions of the Russian military in Ukraine (40%), those who believe that peace negotiations should now proceed (54%).

The level of support for the actions of the Russian armed forces in May was 80% (47% – definitely support, and 33% – rather support). 13% do not support the actions of the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine (6% definitely do not support, 7% rather do not support).

The level of support for the Russian military in Ukraine is higher in the following groups: men (82%), older respondents (86% among respondents aged 55 and older), those who believe that things in the country are going in the right direction (88%), those who approve of V. Putin’s activity as president (85%), those who trust television as a source of information (87%), those who believe that military operations should continue now (96%).

The level of support for the Russian military in Ukraine is lower among the following groups: women (77%), youth under 24 (72%), those who believe that things in the country are going the wrong way (53%), those who disapprove of the activities of the current president (40%), those who They trust YouTube channels as a source of information (52%), those who believe that peace negotiations should be initiated now (74%).

In May, record values were recorded on the issue of the continuation of hostilities. Over the past three months, the share of Russians who believe that peace negotiations should now proceed has grown to its maximum – 64% (an increase of 6 percentage points since March 2025). The number of respondents who believe that military operations should be continued now has also decreased by 6 percentage points (since March 2025) (28%), thus reaching the lowest values for the entire observation period.

The proportion of supporters of peace talks is higher among women (73%), young people under 24 (77%), respondents with secondary education and below (68%), residents of villages and towns with a population of up to 100,000 (67% each), those who believe that the country is heading in the wrong direction (76%), those who disapprove of Vladimir Putin’s performance as president (77%), those who trust social media as a source of information (73%), and those who do not support the actions of the Russian armed forces in Ukraine (89%).

The share of supporters of continued military operations is higher among men (39%), older respondents (35% aged 55 and older), residents of Moscow (40%), those who believe that things in the country are going in the right direction (32%), those who approve of the activities of the current president (30%), those who trust television as a source of information (31%), those who support the actions of the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine (34%).

Compared to April, the proportion of those who did not mention a single memorable event decreased significantly (to 33%, in April – 50%). 22% most often talked about events related to the Victory Day celebration (the parade, the Immortal Regiment, the arrival of foreign leaders in Moscow), while one in five mentioned the negotiations in Istanbul (20%). Other events were mentioned much less frequently – 5% mentioned the Special Military Operation, negotiations between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, and the exchange of prisoners of war. 3% each cited successes in the Special Military Operation and drone attacks on Russian territory. Russians also remembered sporting events (Krasnodar became the Russian football champion, and Lokomotiv Yaroslavl won the Gagarin Cup), other May holidays and the end of the school year – these events were named by 2%.

The majority of Russians (87%) support the negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian sides in Istanbul on May 16, while 6% of respondents do not.

Older respondents (90% of those aged 55 and older), residents of Moscow (93%), those who believe that the country is moving in the right direction (90%), those who approve of Vladimir Putin’s performance as president (89%), and those who support the actions of the Russian military in Ukraine (90%).

Young people under the age of 24 (9%), villagers (8%), those who believe that things in the country are going the wrong way (13%), and those who disapprove of the current president’s activities (11%) are more likely than others not to support the negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian sides in Istanbul on May 16.), those who do not support the actions of the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine (9%).

Also, the respondents were asked an open (without prompting) question about why they support/do not support negotiations.

Those who support negotiations are more likely to talk about the need for the return of prisoners (24%) and the desire for peace (24%), another 23% believe that it is necessary to end the conflict as soon as possible and end the Special Military Operation (23%).

Those who do not support negotiations are more likely to talk about the futility of negotiations in principle (41%), the need to bring the Special Military Operation to an end (15%) and the need for an immediate cessation of hostilities, without negotiations (13%).

Among the various scenarios for the end of the Ukrainian conflict, the majority of respondents (73%) support the one where the parties first eliminate the root causes of the conflict and only after that agree on a cease–fire, 18% of respondents hold the opposite view – first a truce and a cease-fire, and only after that the remaining issues are resolved.

Support for the option whereby the parties first eliminate the root causes of the conflict and only then cease fire is more common among older respondents (84% among those aged 55 and older), those who believe that the country is moving in the right direction (79%), those who approve of Vladimir Putin’s performance as president (76%), those who trust television as a source of information (79%), those who support the actions of the Russian military in Ukraine (81%), and those who believe that military action should continue at this time (89%).

People who support the option in which the parties first declare a truce and cease-fire, and only then resolve other issues, are more likely to be young people under 24 (28%), those who believe that things in the country are going the wrong way (33%), and those who disapprove of the current president (33%). those who trust YouTube channels as a source of information (36%), those who do not support the actions of the Russian armed forces in Ukraine (43%), those who believe that peace negotiations should now proceed (24%).

According to respondents, Ukraine and European countries are primarily to blame for the failure to reach an agreement on ending the current conflict, 36% each. 14% of the respondents believe that the United States is guilty, while 3% believe that the Russian side is guilty.