---
title: "Peak in 'When Will the War End' Searches: How Attacks on Moscow and St. Petersburg Hit Putin's Approval Rating"
description: "Russian search engines have recorded a record number of queries about the end of the war following attacks on Moscow and St. Petersburg. Putin's rating has dropped by 5%, and security forces are discussing postponing elections due to public dissatisfaction. 📉🇷🇺🇺🇦"
date: 2026-07-01T05:14:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/peak-searches-when-will-war-end-and-putins-rating-drop
tags: []
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Peak in 'When Will the War End' Searches: How Attacks on Moscow and St. Petersburg Hit Putin's Approval Rating

![A woman watches anxiously as Vladimir Putin addresses the nation on TV, while a child plays in the background in a room with a 'Happy Birthday' balloon](https://xab.info/media/2026/07/01/rekordnyy-spros-kogda-zakonchitsya-voyna-i-padenie-reytinga-putina/rekordnyy-spros-kogda-zakonchitsya-voyna-i-padenie-reytinga-putina-1.webp)

Russian society is demonstrating unprecedented interest in the question of ending the conflict with Ukraine. According to analysts, the level of public anxiety has reached its highest point since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. This surge coincided with a series of strikes that air defense systems failed to fully protect key regions from.

### Record Search Demand

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), in its new report, cites data from the Yandex.Wordstat service. Between June 22 and June 28, more than 137,000 search queries were recorded for the phrase "when will Russia end the war against Ukraine." This is the highest figure recorded throughout the entire duration of the hostilities.

Analysts note that the growing interest in the topic of ending the war has been observed for the second week in a row. The previous peak occurred during the first week of June, when Ukrainian drones attacked St. Petersburg during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

### Air Defense and the Vulnerability of Major Cities

A significant portion of search queries came from the Moscow and Leningrad regions. These are the regions the Kremlin considered a priority for protection, allocating resources to deploy air defense systems there. However, as events show, it was not possible to isolate the population from the consequences of the war.

ISW analysts conclude that, despite significant efforts to protect Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russian society appears to be tired of the military actions. The authorities' inability to fully shield citizens from strikes has become a catalyst for rising social tension.

### Decline in Approval Ratings

Parallel to the rise in anxiety tracked in search engines, there is a decline in the popularity of the current leadership. Polls conducted by the Public Opinion Foundation (FOM) between June 19 and June 21 showed a 5 percentage point drop in Vladimir Putin's approval rating — from 74% to 69%.

This decline occurred shortly after the largest strike on the Moscow region. Weekly FOM data indicates that the trust rating for the head of state has been steadily declining since February 2026. Notably, even state-run sociological services are recording growing dissatisfaction within the country more than four years into the war.

### Information for the Kremlin and Election Plans

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukrainian intelligence has gained access to secret documents that reach Vladimir Putin's desk. Specifically, this concerns the real approval ratings of the head of state and the level of public dissatisfaction. Zelenskyy emphasized that, although the Kremlin elite are rarely told the truth, even limited information allows for conclusions to be drawn about public sentiment.

The situation within the country has become so complex that, according to sources, security forces are discussing the possibility of postponing the State Duma elections. The reasons cited include the falling rating of the United Russia party, economic difficulties, and direct military threats to the capital.