Hidden fears: The silent stance of Russians on the Ukraine war

Independent Russian sociologists decided to investigate what Russians really think about the war in Ukraine. Members of the Public Sociology Laboratory (PS Lab) team spent a month observing and talking to residents of small towns and villages. The independent portal Meduza publishes the first conclusions from this unique study.

In the fall of 2023, researchers from the PS Lab team went to three regions of Russia – the Sverdlovsk Oblast, the Republic of Buryatia, and the Krasnodar Krai – and spent a month there.

As a result of their delegations, the researchers collected interviews, based on which they attempted to answer the question: whether and why citizens of the Russian Federation support the war in Ukraine. The conclusions are surprising. Apparently, the topic of the war hardly exists.

The war is not only almost invisible in the urban landscape, but it is rarely talked about on the streets or in local social media groups. If it weren't for periodic news about deaths and funerals, one could completely forget about the war – according to the Meduza portal.

Why don't Russians talk about the war publicly or on the internet? Because they are afraid. Discussions about the war boil down to death, family, and, most importantly, money. Researchers indicate that in small towns and villages, earnings are a "public domain." And this is a topic people are willing to talk about.

People actively discuss military earnings: the amount of earnings in the war, "coffin" money, and social benefits - reports Meduza.

The average Russian is well aware of the actions of propaganda. This is confirmed by a car service employee with whom one of the researchers spoke.

What they say on TV is nonsense! All the guys who are fighting there now say you shouldn't trust anyone. The fact that our Ministry of Defense says we have minimal losses is stupid. Many people die every day on both their side and ours - a Russian told PS Lab researchers.

The war breeds fear, especially among women. Men going to war is associated with the belief in a broken family. "Women perceive the war as a threat to the health and life of their husbands and sons."

The full report from the research is to be published in July. The results will be extremely interesting.