What Secret Russian State Polling Tells Us About Support for the War

Do Russians support the war in Ukraine?

Photo - Sergey Vedyashkin / Moskva News Agency

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This article was translated and edited with the help of our colleagues from the Moscow Times

Do Russians support the war in Ukraine? This question has been discussed intensely since the invasion in February. According to surveys from major Russian pollsters (including the independent Levada Center and state-controlled VTsIOM) about 75% of the population does support the invasion. But many are deeply skeptical of these figures. 

Russian officials have access to much more information on attitudes than is ever released to the public — and it is well known that the Kremlin keeps a close eye on public opinion. 

So, we decided to look into how Russian officials view the situation. In the process, it became clear that a group of officials, political managers and experts have been carrying out confidential opinion polls on attitudes toward the war for at least six months. We obtained access to this previously…