Do the Russians want war? The poll shows that the majority do

The majority of Russians support the war in Ukraine and want the bloodshed to continue. Thus, the war, as of the end of December, is supported by 71% of Russians. Notably, the number of supporters of negotiations has been declining in recent months. Just over 20% of respondents will oppose the war, according to a poll by the Levada Center.

Analysts note that a sharp rise in supporters of peace talks was recorded in Russia in September and October, when the Kremlin announced a partial mobilization, but when some part of the population was sent to the front to die, another "exhaled" and again began to advocate the killing of neighbours

Proponents of the continuation of the war mostly said that "what has been started must be finished", "before victory", "so much has been done that we cannot go back". These Russians also stated that "the fascists must be crushed" and that Ukrainians "do not want peace themselves".

Also, the survey revealed that Russians have a worse attitude towards military service. According to the Levada-Center poll, almost 50% of Russians believe that a man should serve in the army. More often this opinion is held by representatives of the older generation, who have already served their time.

Back in 2019, 60% of those surveyed were "in favour of serving". They attribute the drop in statistics to the fact that those who did not serve as part of mobilisation were not taken to the front.

The Levada Centre conducted a poll on 15-21 December 2022 among 1,611 people.

The survey was conducted at the respondent's home by means of a personal interview. The statistical error (probability 0.95) does not exceed 3.4%.