Majority of Russians in favor of war with Ukraine, but desire peace talks on Russia's terms – survey

Photo: Reuters

Ulyana Guz

Three-quarters of the Russian Federation's population supports the war against Ukraine. In October of this year, over half expressed a desire for peace negotiations, but on their own terms.

The survey data of the independent Levada Center evidences this.

There is still strong overall support for the war against Ukraine, with 76% of respondents in favor. Only 15% of those surveyed do not support it.

As mentioned in the message, the number of supporters of peace negotiations has increased following a decrease in the wake of the events in the Kursk region. The proportion of individuals favoring continuing hostilities has decreased to 36%, while those supporting peace talks have gradually risen to 55%.

The researchers at Levada Center have not disclosed the specific "peace negotiations" supported by the Russian Federation's residents at this time. Previous surveys indicated that 70% of respondents would favor an immediate cessation of the war, but only on the condition that the captured territories are retained.

In case of withdrawal from the occupied territories, only 30% of respondents would support the war's end.

In October, Russians were split on whether they would have canceled or supported the beginning of the war if they could turn back time. 40% would have chosen to cancel it, while 44% would have supported it. Public opinion on this matter has remained relatively unchanged for the past year and a half.

Approximately half of Russians are willing to send a family member to war. An equal number would either support (40%) or oppose (42%) the decision of a loved one who has signed a contract with the Russian military department.

The Levada Center survey was conducted from October 24 to 30, 2024, among 1,617 people. The research was conducted at the respondents' homes through a personal interview. The statistical error (with a probability of 0.95) is 3.4%.

For reference:

According to the survey, almost half of the citizens of the Russian Federation, 47%, believe that the full-scale invasion of Ukraine caused more harm than good. This is the highest indicator since the full-scale war against Ukraine began.

As reported, as of January this year, 63% of Russians continued to support the war in Ukraine despite the poor economic conditions and standard of living in the Russian Federation.

It was also reported that 58% of Ukrainian citizens are inclined to think that even in the case of a significant reduction in Western aid, it is still worth continuing military operations to put pressure on the Russian invaders despite the risks to the territories that Ukraine now controls.

Furthermore, nearly 67% of Ukrainians are unwilling to return to the demarcation line on February 24, 2022, but prefer to revert to the 1991 borders. Additionally, about 64% of Ukrainians do not endorse the concept of directly negotiating with Russia to bring about peace.

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