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also reported that the state of Russian military aviation does not allow for a full-scale air campaign. Russia has used at least 7 million shells since Feb. 24, according to the publication.
2.16 Polls & Sociology
52% of Russians support continuing war against Ukraine. According to a new poll by the Russian Field sociological agency, 38% of respondents were in favour of moving to peace talks with Ukraine.
The authors of the study note that over the period from mid-March to the end of July, the ratio of supporters and opponents of the special operation remained practically unchanged: now 69% of respondents support it, 23% hold the opposite opinion, and another 8% found it difficult or refused to answer.
The survey also showed that 65% of Russians would support a peace treaty with Ukraine if Russian President Vladimir Putin announced it. At the same time, 60% would support a new attack on Kyiv if Putin decided that.
According to 30% of respondents, the special operation in Ukraine will continue for more than a year, 18% believe that hostilities will end within a year. 20% of respondents hope for their completion within six months, and only 13% of those polled are optimistic about the end of hostilities within one to three months.
62% of Russians are sure that the special operation is "definitely" or "rather" successful, 19% hold the opposite opinion, and the same number found it difficult to answer.
In addition, there is an attitude that is rooted in society that “the authorities know better, we are small people,” and the “little man” is not very versed in current politics and does not want to do this, the expert continues.
The authors of the study warned that its results may not show the real situation, since the fear to talk about the war has increased among Russians.
Russia’s population shrank by a record average of 86,000 people a month between January and May, state statistics agency Rosstat has said. The decline surpasses the previous record contraction of 57,000 people a month in 2002, when Russia’s population shrank to 145.3 million from nearly 146 million the previous year. Russia’s population has fallen to 145.1 million after a decline of 430,000 people, according to Rosstat’s latest demographic report. The rate of Russia’s population decline has almost doubled since 2021 and nearly tripled since 2020, according to The Moscow Times’ Russian
45 RUSSIA Country Report September 2022 www.intellinews.com