Russian public support for the “special military operation” is falling — and “significantly”: data shows that 55% of Russians support peace talks with Ukraine, while just 25% say they want the conflict to continue.
British military intelligence reports this in its daily bulletin (an undoubtedly “biased” but valuable tool).
The survey cited by Londoner 007 was conducted by an independent Russian media outlet – Meduza – which claims to have had access to data collected by the Russian Federal Protection Service for internal use.
The Federal Protection Service is tasked with ensuring the security of the Kremlin and government officials.
The Levada Center — the largest of the independent polling centers in Russia — found similar rates in November, with 53 percent of 1,600 respondents saying they supported peace talks, 41 percent said they supported the conflict and 6 percent said they were “undecided.”
“Despite efforts by Russian authorities to enforce pervasive control over the intelligence environment, the conflict has become increasingly tangible for many Russians since partial mobilization in September 2022. With Russia unlikely to achieve any major successes on the battlefield in the coming months, it is likely that it will become increasingly difficult for the Kremlin to sustain even tacit popular approval for war.