According to the latest poll by the Levada Center, published in August 2026, the level of anxiety in Russian society has reached a critical point. The share of citizens assessing the political situation in the country as tense or explosive reached 70%. This is the highest figure since September 2022, when partial mobilization was announced in Russia.
Statistics of pessimism: return to 2022 levels
A detailed analysis of the data shows that the majority of respondents — 57% — characterized the current situation in the country as "tense". Another 13% of respondents chose the most radical assessment, calling the situation "critical" and "explosive". Only 26% of citizens gave positive assessments: 19% consider the situation calm, and 7% — prosperous. Sociologists note that a comparable level of pessimism was recorded only at the time of the announcement of mobilization in September 2022, when negative assessments reached 71%.
Dynamics of anxiety growth since 2025
A sharp rise in negative sentiments has been observed since mid-2025. According to sociologists, since May 2025, the share of those who see tension has increased by 10 percentage points. As for the "critical/explosive" assessments, this indicator increased by 8 p.p. since September 2025. Experts link this trend to the accumulation of fatigue from the conflict and growing uncertainty in the socio-economic sphere.
Impact of military actions and falling ratings
Respondents with a negative perception of the situation explain their sentiments with a number of specific problems, with military actions taking the first place. The share of Russians who consider the war against Ukraine successful has dropped to 50% — this is the lowest figure since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. The Institute for the Study of War notes that citizens are showing increasing interest in ending the conflict, aided by Ukrainian attacks that the aggressor country's air defense failed to fully neutralize. Against this backdrop, the approval rating of Vladimir Putin's actions has fallen to a minimum since the start of the full-scale war.
Contradictory data
There is a discrepancy in the interpretation of the reasons for the rise in anxiety between official sources and independent sociologists. Official rhetoric continues to insist on stability and prosperity, however, the data from the Levada Center demonstrates the opposite picture. Moreover, in some regions, attempts to hide the real sentiments of the population are recorded, which creates a gap between the figures declared by the authorities and the real data of sociological research.
