Support for Putin's war drops
Leaked poll reveals only one in four are in favour of keeping troops in Ukraine
Support for the war in Ukraine has fallen dramatically in Russia, according to a leaked Kremlin poll that piles further pressure on Vladimir Putin. Just one in four Russian people are in favour of keeping troops in Ukraine, down from 57 per cent in July.
The findings were published in a report for senior government officials by the Kremlin’s Federal Guard Service, which was obtained by Meduza, an independent investigative news website.
The drop in support comes after Russia ordered tens of thousands of men to be mobilised and sent to the front lines. Putin attempted to calm rising anger last week with a public meeting with the wives of soldiers.
Attrition levels remain high as reports continue to surface of poor training and equipment for recently mobilised Russian conscripts.
“People perceived this as something that did not concern them,” said Denis Volkov, head of the Levada Centre, an independent research institute. “Now the risks have grown and people want [peace] talks to begin.”
Weapons and ammunition factories across the country have reportedly been working overtime.
Sergei Shoigu, Russia’s defence minister, told a televised meeting this week that military spending on new weapons will rise by 50 per cent starting next year.
He also said that Russia plans “major construction” at military bases hosting Russian nuclear missiles.
Ukrainians are currently grappling with the aftermath of recent Russian missile attacks that left many areas without electricity or heating.
Ukraine’s state emergency service said yesterday at least nine people have been reported dead in fires in the past 24 hours as people ignore safety rules and try to heat their homes amid widespread blackouts.
Meanwhile, a small explosive device hidden inside an envelope went off at the Ukrainian embassy compound in Madrid yesterday.
The letter, addressed to Ukraine’s ambassador to Spain, had not been through a security scanner when it was opened. Spanish police said an embassy employee was lightly injured and went to a hospital himself.
Ukraine foreign minister Dmytro
Kuleba has ordered security to be tightened at all Ukrainian embassies abroad and called on Spanish authorities to investigate the attack.
The Ukrainian Government also found itself arguing with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen as she claimed in a speech that 20,000 Ukrainian civilians and 100,000 troops have been killed since the start of the invasion.
Previous Ukrainian death toll estimates were in five, not six-digit figures.
Several hours later, the transcript of von der Leyen’s speech posted on Twitter was edited to delete mention of Ukrainian casualties. An EC spokeswoman later described the incident as a misunderstanding, saying the figures referred to casualties — those both killed and injured.