Russians’ support for peace talks with Ukraine has grown after an abortive mutiny led by Wagner mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, according to a new opinion poll from the independent Levada Center.
The share of respondents backing negotiations increased by eight percentage points to 53% from a month earlier. Following the march by Prigozhin and Wagner fighters toward Moscow over the weekend, the share of those favoring a continuation of fighting fell to 39%, according to the survey, due to be published Friday.
Russians “became scared that the mutiny could lead to bigger setbacks in Ukraine for Russian troops,” Denis Volkov, Levada’s director, said in a phone interview. “And, in general, a lot of people just want this war to be over as soon as possible.”
The survey of 1,634 respondents across 50 Russian regions was conducted from June 22-28. After the mutiny on June 23-24, support for talks grew further, Levada said.
The Kremlin has accused Ukraine of being unwilling to negotiate. Kyiv says it won’t consider talks until Russia’s troops leave its territory.
Public support for a diplomatic solution in Russia has ebbed and flowed over the 17 months of the war, peaking in the fall after Putin’s order mobilizing men for the front fueled public fears. In May, signs of progress in the long-running battle for Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine boosted Russian public backing of a military solution.
Prigozhin, the mercenary chief, had demanded the removal of the defense minister and chief of the general staff, who he blamed for Russia’s struggles in the war effort.
But he called off the uprising after accepting a deal with Putin brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko that allowed him to go to Russia’s neighbor in return for criminal charges being dropped against him and his fighters.
While Putin’s ratings remained largely unchanged in the aftermath of the upheaval, Prigozhin’s fell, the poll showed. On the eve of the mutiny, 19% of respondents were ready to consider voting for him in presidential elections due in 2024, while after June 24 the number fell to 6%.
