Russian society continues to ask questions about the end and outcome of the war - ISW

Russian society appears interested in discussing the results of the war in Ukraine, despite the Kremlin’s growing desire for more in-depth public debate about the war. The Institute for the Study of War writes about this.

The independent Russian sociological organization Levada Center released a survey on December 5 detailing the questions Russians would like to ask Russian President Putin during the upcoming Direct Line on December 14. The results revealed that 21 percent of all questions in the open-ended survey related to the end and outcome of the war in Ukraine.

Questions in this category included questions about the timing of the end of the war, the end of mobilization, and the possibility of peace.

“The survey shows that Russian society continues to question the end and outcome of the war, despite the Russian government’s efforts to silence anti-war rhetoric and anti-mobilization protests. Persistent questions among the Russian public about the timing of the end of the war and mobilization and the prospects for peace are consistent with recent independent Russian polls showing that Russians increasingly support the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine, and that more than half of Russian respondents believe that Russia must begin peace negotiations with Ukraine”.

The Ways will reportedly focus their presidential campaign on Russia’s supposed internal stability and increased criticism of the West rather than focusing on the war, so it is unclear whether the Kremlin chief intends to answer questions about the war during the “Direct Line” that is likely to kick off Putin’s 2024 presidential campaign.

Previously, FACTS published the opinion of political expert Vadim Denisenko about why elections in Russia are important for Ukraine: “Putin realized that he does not need to play with the people’s love.”