Strikes on Russia worry Russians more than front for the first time - Media
Illustrative photo: strikes on Russian territory worry Russians more than the war itself (Getty Images)
Concerns over strikes on Russian territory have, for the first time since the start of the full-scale war, become more worrying for Russian citizens than general frontline news, according to Russian media.
What the study shows
During a sociological survey conducted by the Obshchestvennoye Mnenie Foundation (Public Opinion) from May 1–3, 18% of Russians named Ukrainian strikes as the most important topic of the past week.
Meanwhile, only 16% of respondents considered the so-called special military operation (SVO) to be the main issue.
According to sociologist analyst Volodymyr Zvonovsky, the indicator for "strikes on Russian territory" has, for the first time since the start of the war, exceeded interest in the war as a whole.
How sentiment trends have changed in Russia
Interest in strikes on Russian territory began to grow significantly among Russian residents in the second year of the war, when drones started regularly reaching Belgorod, and later even Moscow.
Photo: dynamics of sentiment in Russia (t.me/agentstvonews)
In July 2023, this topic was considered the main issue by 3% to 8% of respondents. After the large-scale strike on Belgorod in January 2024, the figure stood at 7%.
In summer last year, amid disruptions at Russian capital airports, the share rose to 8%.
A new wave of concern began in the spring this year.
In mid-April, interest stood at 6%, and by the end of the month, it had sharply jumped to 15%, compared to 17%, who were more focused on the frontline.
Disillusionment with the Kremlin and tightening propaganda control
Internal contradictions in the Russian Federation have been intensifying recently due to the prolonged war against Ukraine.
In the fifth year of the full-scale invasion, distrust in the actions of Russian leader Vladimir Putin has noticeably grown among both elites and society, as detailed in RBC-Ukraine’s material On brink of revolt? Why Russian elites and society are losing faith in Putin.
Amid a prolonged economic crisis and general societal fatigue, the Kremlin is seeking an "image of victory" in order to "sell" peace with Ukraine to the Russian public and mask real failures on the battlefield.
At the same time, internal censorship in Russia is tightening and even targeting its own propaganda networks. As previously reported, censorship in Russia has begun cracking down on pro-war Z-channels that criticize military leadership or express dissatisfaction with what they see as insufficiently aggressive Kremlin decisions.
This has already led to mass blocks that have nearly halved the viewership of such resources, while the radical ultra-patriotic wing is facing pressure similar to that previously experienced by its ideological figurehead Igor Girkin-Strelkov.
