34% of Russians would approve of a nuclear strike against Ukraine, according to the results of a poll conducted in June by the Levada-centr research center.
According to the survey, 10% of respondents “definitely” support the use of nuclear weapons in war, while another 24% consider its use “quite appropriate”.
Rate increase
It is worth noting that the percentage of supporters of the use of nuclear weapons has increased by 5% over the past year and is a record since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.
At the same time, the majority of Russians still oppose the use of nuclear weapons, at 52%.
Vladimir Putin recently said he was considering possible changes to Russia’s nuclear doctrine, which currently calls for the use of nuclear weapons in response to actions by a perceived enemy, as well as in the event of a threat to “the very existence of the state.”
But most want peace
However, for the first time in a year and a half, there was a notable increase in the percentage of supporters of peace talks with Ukraine. 58% of respondents, as reported today by Levada-Centr, are in favor of peace talks, noting that this is the highest percentage recorded throughout the election period.
This percentage, for example, in the October 2022 and November 2023 surveys was 57%.\
The groups that are for and those that are against
According to the results of the Levada-Centr survey, the the opinion on the need to start peace talks is expressed more frequently by women (64%), the young Russians (66% aged between 18 and 24), those who have almost nothing to eat (64%), farmers (65%), those who disapprove of Putin’s activities as president (75%) and those who trust information from YouTube channels (65%).
At the same time, 37% believe that military action against Ukraine should continue.
Men are more in favor of continuing the war against Ukraine in general (47%)men aged 55 and over at 40%, the wealthiest Russians (40% of whom are able to afford durable items), those who believe things in the country are moving in the right direction (44%), those who approve of the president’s policies (40%) and those who consider television news reliable (42%).
According to the survey 65% of Russians attribute the deaths of people and destruction in Ukraine to the US and NATO countries; while one in ten considers Ukraine responsible and only 6% considers Russia responsible. Levada-Centr points out that in the space of a year the percentage of those who believe that the US and NATO are responsible for the deaths of people in Ukraine has increased by 10%.
Also 58% believe that the war in Ukraine could develop into a military conflict between Russia and NATO countries.
In 2016, the non-governmental research center Yuri Levada, known as Levada-Centr, which regularly conducts sociological and marketing research, was labeled a “foreign agent” by the Russian authorities, a designation with which its management does not agree. It has been repeatedly pointed out that Levada-Centr’s poll results differ significantly from those of other state election agencies.
Source: AMPE