A record 67 percent of Russian citizens now say the government should pursue negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, according to a survey conducted by the independent Levada Center and published Wednesday. The figure is the highest recorded since the February 2022 invasion began and represents a six-point increase in a single month. Only 24 percent of respondents said Russia should continue military operations without talks — a figure that is, by the same measure, a record low. The data arrives as Russia's own economy shows increasing strain from four years of war expenditure, despite the short-term windfall from elevated oil prices driven by the Iran conflict.
The Levada Center, which operates under significant domestic political pressure and conducts its surveys by phone to avoid surveillance risks, is considered by Western analysts to be the most reliable polling organization still operating independently in Russia. Pollsters note that Russian respondents consistently underreport anti-war sentiment due to fear of the country's "discrediting the military" laws, which can result in prison sentences. The true proportion favoring negotiations may be higher than the 67 percent figure suggests.
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