Kenneth Glad
Public attitudes appear to be shifting after years of geopolitical tension and prolonged conflict. Recent survey data suggests growing concern about how major political decisions are affecting everyday life.
Twenty-six percent of Russians surveyed in April said they were dissatisfied with the foreign policy pursued by the authorities. The figure marks the highest level of discontent recorded since the question began being tracked in 2007.
The result was nearly double the level recorded a year earlier and 11 percentage points higher than in November.
Support also weakened. The share of respondents who said they were generally satisfied with the Kremlin’s foreign policy fell from 59% in December to 46% in April.
The overall approval index dropped to 41 points, matching its lowest level in nearly two decades, writes The Moscow Times.
Other frustrations grow
The same polling data showed rising dissatisfaction with other areas of government policy.
The outlet reported that discontent with economic policy reached 46%, while dissatisfaction with domestic policy stood at 36% and social policy at 35%.
Those figures were described as the highest since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Their four-month rise was the sharpest since the 2018 pension reform.
Hopes over Trump fade
Political analyst Alexander Morozov told The Moscow Times that earlier optimism had been shaped by Russian media expectations that Donald Trump could pressure Kyiv and help bring the war closer to an end.
He said those hopes later faded, dragging down public sentiment.
Analyst Abbas Gallyamov tied the shift to exhaustion with the war and concern about possible escalation with NATO.
“People are tired of the endless and unsuccessful war, they are frightened by the prospect of a major war with NATO, they want to normalize relations with the outside world, and instead they see only escalation,” Gallyamov said.
War milestone adds pressure
Gallyamov also pointed to January 2026, when Russia’s official term for the invasion, the “special military operation,” lasted longer than the Great Patriotic War.
“They promised to ‘repeat it’ — and in front of the whole world they failed miserably,” he said.
Sociologist Ella Paneyakh told the Moscow online newspaper that Russians once judged foreign policy separately from domestic issues. She said that separation has weakened during the war:
“It’s not about any specific foreign policy actions. The point is that citizens have started measuring the consequences of all policies against themselves.”
Sources: The Moscow Times.
