For !st Time Since 2022, Russians More Concerned About Strikes On Russia Than War At Front

There are two interesting aspects to this poll result. The first is that ordinary Russians are now more concerned about Ukrainian attacks on Russia than they are about news from fighting at the front, suggesting that they know the war is stalled and that their own safety is now at risk.

But perhaps as or more importantly, the question is why the Kremlin has released these results, whose dissemination it controls. The logical answer may be that Putin is starting to prepare his country for the end of the war and wants all parties to recognize that, if he does choose to stop it, he is doing so because of public sentiment, which is intended to absolve him of responsibility as it can be blamed on European and/or American 'interference' that undermined Russian war efforts. JL

Tim Zadorozhnyy reports in the Kyiv Independent:

Ukrainian strikes deep inside Russia have begun to concern Russians more than developments on the front lines, according to a poll published on May 15 by the Kremlin-controlled Public Opinion Foundation. Respondents most frequently mentioned attacks on major Russian cities, drone strikes, attacks on oil refineries, and a drone attack on the Russian city of Yekaterinburg, almost 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) from the nearest Ukrainian border. The survey also showed growing public anxiety inside Russia as the share of respondents who said people around them were feeling anxious rose to 50%, amid internet restrictions and renewed discussion about a possible mobilization.

Ukrainian strikes deep inside Russia have begun to concern Russians more than developments on the front lines, according to a poll published on May 15 by the Kremlin-controlled Public Opinion Foundation.

The findings come as Kyiv intensifies long-range drone and missile attacks against Russian military and energy infrastructure and mark the first visible shift in public attention since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

According to the poll, 18% of respondents said attacks on Russian territory were the events that attracted the most attention in recent days, compared with 16% who cited developments on the battlefield in Ukraine.

Respondents most frequently mentioned attacks on major Russian cities, drone strikes, attacks on oil refineries, and a drone attack on the Russian city of Yekaterinburg, almost 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) from the nearest Ukrainian border.

The survey also showed growing public anxiety inside Russia.

The share of respondents who said people around them were feeling anxious rose to 50%, amid internet restrictions and renewed discussion about a possible mobilization campaign.

The figure stands four percentage points higher than in August 2024, when Ukraine launched its incursion into Russia's Kursk Oblast.

While earlier Ukrainian strikes inside Russia were more limited in scope, recent months have seen a significant increase in the scale and frequency of attacks. 

Kyiv has increasingly targeted Russian military infrastructure, air bases, and oil and energy facilities deep inside Russian territory as part of its broader strategy to weaken Moscow's war effort.

The Public Opinion Foundation is a Kremlin-aligned polling organization that publishes weekly surveys on political, economic, and social sentiment in Russia.

Its latest poll was conducted on May 1–3 across 97 cities in 51 Russian regions, surveying 1,500 respondents.