In June 2025, half of the respondents followed the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. Three quarters supported the actions of the Russian armed forces. At the same time, two thirds of Russians would like to start peace negotiations. Compared to last year, the proportion of people who consider the use of nuclear weapons in the current conflict to be justified has significantly decreased. More than half of the respondents today still fear that the situation could escalate into an armed clash between Russia and NATO
Press-releases
Ratings of June 2025: sentiments, opinions on the state of affairs in the country, approval of authorities, trust in politicians and parties, presidential electoral ratings
Most Russians are in a normal, even state, the proportion of those who say they are in a good mood is slightly decreasing, and the proportion of those who experience negative emotions is slightly increasing. The majority of respondents believe that the country is moving in the right direction. Positive assessments prevail with regard to government authorities, however, compared to last month, there is a slight decrease in the approval levels of the State Duma and the government. According to the open-ended question, Russians trust Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Mishustin, and Sergey Lavrov the most.
The conflict with Ukraine: attention, support, attitude to the negotiations in Istanbul and various conflict resolution options
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.
The conflict with Ukraine in April 2025: attention, support, attitude towards negotiations, attitude towards the participants in the Special Military Operation
Attention to the Ukrainian events has been decreasing in recent months. The level of support for the actions of the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine remains high. Over a half of the respondents believe that peace negotiations should be initiated, and about a third believe that military operations should be continued. There is no clear opinion in society about whether the “special military operation” has brought more benefit or harm. Respondents see benefits in the return of territories, the liberation of people, import substitution, and strengthening Russia’s authority in the world. The harm lies in the death of people. Most of the respondents believe that the veterans of the Special Military Operation are treated with respect in society. The respondents believe that after the completion of the “special military operation”, its participants will first of all be able to find themselves in military affairs, law enforcement agencies or in the field of youth education.
Problems with access to Internet resources and using VPN: March 2025
Over the past month, a third of respondents have faced the inability to access familiar digital services. The same proportion of Russians use VPN services to access the Internet. Both of these groups have grown in number since last year. Young people, more educated and affluent respondents, as well as opposition-minded citizens are more likely to say that they have encountered blockages, and use VPNs.
Use of the Internet, social networks, messengers, artificial intelligence and other online services: March 2025
Most Russians use the Internet at least a few times a week, and almost all of them use it among young people. The growth of the Internet audience is mainly due to the development of the Internet by older people. Three quarters of the respondents use social media, including more than half on a daily basis. The most popular social networks in Russia are VKontakte and Telegram. The YouTube audience has almost halved after the slowdown; against this background, the Rutube audience is growing noticeably. The respondents prefer to exchange messages and calls via WhatsApp and Telegram, and their popularity is growing. Almost one in five respondents uses artificial intelligence technologies, primarily for work and study. The most popular online services remain mobile banking, taxi ordering and online shopping services, and their use is growing year by year.
Attitudes towards the return of Western companies to Russia, foreign brands that Russians miss, and attitudes towards Russia’s participation in the G8
On the issue of returning departed foreign companies to Russia, the prevailing view is that each case should be carefully studied and only selected companies should be allowed back in. Most of the respondents do not miss the trademarks and brands that have left Russia. However, those who would like their return are most often called IKEA, Adidas, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Nike, Zara and car brands. Russia’s membership in the G8 is important for every third respondent, and the number of such responses has significantly decreased compared to the previous measurement.
The attitude towards Alexei Navalny, his imprisonment, his role in history, as well as the people who took to the streets to honor his memory
The attitude towards Alexei Navalny (listed as a terrorist and extremist by Rosfinmonitoring) has not changed significantly over the past year: half of the respondents disapproved of the politician’s activities, and one in ten respondents approved. Respondents most often say that Navalny has not played a special role in Russia’s history. One in two believes that the politician’s imprisonment was due to the fact that he violated the law and had to be punished, while one in five believes that the government was settling scores with its opponent in this way. The majority of respondents are neutral towards people who come out to honor Navalny’s memory.
Mass perceptions of Western sanctions: February 2025
Almost two thirds of the respondents say they are not worried about Western sanctions. At the same time, the freezing of Russian assets abroad is of particular concern. The majority of respondents believe that the sanctions have not created any problems for them personally. Against this background, there is growing confidence that the sanctions are directed against the Russian leadership, and not the general population. The prevailing opinion in society is that with the help of sanctions, Western countries seek primarily to weaken Russia. At the same time, more than half of the respondents are of the opinion that Western sanctions will strengthen our country and become an incentive for its development. The majority of respondents believe that Russia should continue its policy despite the sanctions.
Mass perceptions of Russia’s relations with America and Western countries
Russians’ attitude towards the United States has improved markedly amid the ongoing negotiations, which have become the most memorable event of February. Almost two thirds of the respondents rate relations between Russia and the United States as bad. The majority of respondents have a bad attitude towards Joe Biden, while the majority have a good attitude towards Donald Trump. The good attitude towards Trump is due to his attempts to resolve the Ukrainian conflict and improve relations with Russia. Almost half of the respondents believe that relations between Russia and the United States will improve after Trump’s election. Half expect that after the conflict ends, relations between Russia and the West will return to normal. More than half support the idea of expanding ties with Western countries.