The percentage of Russian citizens feeling anxious has reached 49% since the start of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ operation in Kursk Oblast, a record high since September 2023, The Moscow Times informed, citing a survey by the Foundation for Public Opinion.
At the same time, 45% of Russians say that calm moods prevail among their circle, the lowest number in a year.
The last time anxiety outweighed stability was in May 2023, when fighters from the Russian Volunteer Corps and the Freedom of Russia Legion conducted a raid in Belgorod Oblast.
The main “disturbing event” recently, according to 52% of Russians, is the war against Ukraine, with 28% specifically pointing to the Ukrainian operation in Kursk Oblast.
On 6 August, Ukraine began an incursion of up to 1,000 soldiers into Russia’s Kursk Oblast, which caught the Russian military off guard. It is the first instance of a foreign army penetrating Russian territory since World War II.
Recently, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukrainian forces were continuing to extend their control over specific areas within Russian territory and were replenishing their exchange stock with Russian captives.
Reportedly, the Russian presidential administration has instructed propagandists to prepare the public for the possibility that the battles for Kursk Oblast may continue for several more months.
Sources close to the Kremlin explained that the authorities intend to adjust citizens to such a state of events and reduce the shock effect.
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