Kremlin's information operations mitigate domestic war weariness – ISW

This is according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) report, seen by Ukrinform.

Recent Russian domestic polls suggest that Ukraine's incursion into Kursk Oblast has not yet degraded Russian domestic support of the war in Ukraine in the short-term following the Kursk incursion and that Russian support for the war has remained high since 2022.

Independent Russian polling organization Levada Center published the results of a monthly poll on August 30 and found that about 78 percent of respondents support Russian military operations in Ukraine — an increase from 75 percent in July 2024 and 77 percent in June 2024.

According to ISW analysts, the Levada Center's polling indicates that the lowest Russian support for the war in Ukraine was in February 2022 with 68 percent of respondents supporting the war and that war support among poll respondents has not fallen below 70 percent since March 2022.

In August 2024, the Levada Center also asked respondents about the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk region and found that 91 percent of respondents were concerned about Ukrainian military operations on Russian territory.

The Levada Center also reported that 57 percent of respondents do not expect a second wave of mobilization and 60 percent do not see a need for a second wave of mobilization in the coming months — both decreasing from 65 percent and 69 percent, respectively.

"Levada Center's polling data indicates that the Kremlin's refusal to fully transition Russian society at large to a wartime footing and the Kremlin’s ongoing domestic information operations aimed at normalizing the war to Russian society have mitigated against domestic war weariness thus far and that the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk Oblast has not changed this mindset," the report says.

ISW emphasized that the fact that Russian society "in general appears to not be experiencing war fatigue likely grants the Kremlin flexibility in how it strategizes to wage a protracted war of attrition against Ukraine."

As reported by Ukrinform, according to the General Staff of Ukraine, the total combat losses of Russian troops in Ukraine from February 24, 2022 to September 2, 2024 amount to about 617,600 people.