According to new polling by the Levada Center, 58 percent of Russians say the war in Ukraine has personally affected them or their families in some way. Among those impacted, 30 percent say relatives, friends, or acquaintances have been killed in the conflict, while another 28 percent know someone currently fighting in Ukraine. Levada pollsters contacted respondents in late August 2025, during a period of heightened diplomatic activity following the meeting between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump in Alaska. The center’s results show support for peace negotiations at a wartime high of 66 percent, up from a previous peak of 58 percent in June 2024.
The survey reveals sharp demographic divides in the war’s impact. Among Russians who report being completely unaffected by the invasion, the largest concentrations are in the following groups: those under the age of twenty-four (45 percent), the affluent (41 percent), and Moscow residents (50 percent).
Monitors working with Mediazona and BBC Russia have documented evidence of more than 125,000 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine. Meduza’s own estimates, based on probate registry data, suggest at least 219,000 Russian soldiers have been killed. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military claims that Russian military losses (including killed and severely wounded soldiers) surpassed one million in mid-June 2025.