This release is based on the study “Meanings of the War,” conducted by ExtremeScan in March 2026 in Russia and Ukraine in collaboration with the Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

In this article, Marat Svetlov and Elena Koneva examine how public tensions caused by internet shutdowns and the blocking of messaging apps in Russia — along with reactions to drone attacks and economic sanctions — are gradually eroding support for the government.

During the election campaign, Donald Trump sparked a surge of hope in both Russia and Ukraine for a swift end to the conflict. His initial steps in this direction, however, produced a paradoxical outcome: in both countries public sentiment hardened in favour of more militant positions, and a persistent pattern of distrust towards Trump himself took hold. To Russian observers his initiatives appear unstable and unreliable, while to Ukrainians they seem aggressively imposed.

ExtremeScan's February-March 2025 survey analyzing the state of social perception of war and its end in belligerent countries

The aftermath of Zelensky and Trump meeting at the White House in ExtremeScan survey

Sociologist Elena Koneva examines the impact of the “Trump factor” on Russian public opinion.