08/27/2025 

Citizens of the aggressor country, Russia, are becoming apathetic towards 
the war. At the same time, Russians themselves do not believe that the Russian Federation will agree to an end to the war in the near future.

Such sentiments about the war against Ukraine have emerged among Russian residents of border regions, according to an analysis by the Institute for the Study of War.

Russians are tired of war

Russian civilians living in border areas are increasingly less likely to volunteer and participate in hostilities. Residents of the Bryansk, Kursk, and Belgorod regions were recently surveyed on this issue. Russians said they did not think Russia would agree to a ceasefire in the near future and expected the war to continue.

Those interviewed said that civilians near the border initially invested and donated to the military operation, but now there is no motivation to help Putin’s army. A Russian from the Belgorod region said that residents of the border region increasingly view Russian soldiers as a threat due to the high risk of Ukrainian drone strikes on the occupiers and cases where Russian troops have damaged civilian infrastructure and robbed local residents.

Another Russian from Kursk Oblast said that people are tired of the war, want to return to normal life, and do not want to raise funds for military needs because the war has no end in sight. A local resident from Bryansk Oblast said that Moscow’s military goals are constantly changing, suggesting that dictator Vladimir Putin’s attempts to influence American audiences with statements of his willingness to negotiate contradict his statements to Russian audiences that Russia remains committed to achieving its military goals.

ISW noted that Putin’s attempts to play both information spaces may mislead Russian audiences. Russian state and independent polls conducted in early 2025 showed that a majority of Russians support the continuation of the war in Ukraine, indicating that the population in areas bordering Ukraine and most affected by the war is less supportive of military action than the population living in areas remote from the fighting.

What preceded

Russia shows no desire to end the war against Ukraine. Instead of holding full-fledged negotiations, the Russian side has repeatedly put forward ultimatums, which, in fact, mean the surrender of Ukraine and the consolidation of territorial gains. At the same time, despite statements of “readiness for peace”, Russian troops continue massive attacks on Ukrainian cities, including civilian infrastructure, and are also waging intense battles on the front. This indicates that the Russians are not interested in ending the war.

As a reminder, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev admitted that Moscow is conducting bilateral negotiations with Ukraine not for the sake of a ceasefire and the approach of a just peace. The Ukrainophobe stated that the negotiations are needed for the “quickest victory” of the Russian Federation and the destruction of the Ukrainian government.

As OBOZ.UA reported, the so-called “new elite” of Russia, which was formed in wartime conditions, has a number of reasons for supporting and continuing the war against Ukraine.