russia's propaganda machine works tirelessly to promote narratives against Ukraine. Find out how many Ukrainians believe that the West is tired of the war and that there is a split between Ukraine's military and political leadership

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After the start of the full-scale invasion, russia began to use its propaganda networks even more actively to promote negative narratives about Ukraine, not only about the country itself but also about Ukrainians. For example, stereotypes about uneducated, impudent, and lazy refugees from Ukraine have become particularly popular in Europe.

And while most russian fakes, such as those about the deaths of Zaluzhnyi and Budanov, are quickly refuted, some of them are quite successfully entrenched in the minds of people, including Ukrainian citizens. 

For example, over the past year, the number of people in Ukrainian society who believe that the West is tired of the war in Ukraine and that there is a split between the political and military leadership of Ukraine has increased. And despite the fact that the origin and purpose of these narratives are well known, they have nevertheless influenced people's minds. This is evidenced by the results of a sociological survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology from September 29 to October 9, 2023.

Read more about what fakes russia is sowing amid the news about the lifting of age restrictions for conscription in Ukraine here.

How many people believe in a conflict between the military and political leadership of Ukraine?

According to the survey, over the past year, the number of people who believe in a serious split between the Ukrainian government and the military command has increased. Thus, the figures increased from 14% (for the same period in 2022) to 32%.

However, the majority of Ukrainians (54%) still believe that the military leadership and Ukrainian politicians act in a coordinated manner and as a team. For comparison, in 2022, the number of Ukrainians with a similar opinion was 71%.

At the same time, 14% of respondents in 2023 and 15% in 2022 found it difficult to answer this question.

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Compromises and agreements with russia: do Ukrainians believe that the government will take such steps?

According to sociologists, from September 2022 to October 2023, the number of those who believe that the Ukrainian government may make unacceptable concessions or compromises in the war with russia increased slightly from 5% to 12%.

However, the Institute of Sociology emphasizes that the vast majority of Ukrainians continue to believe that the Ukrainian government will not take such steps. This is the opinion of 80% of respondents (in September 2022, the number was 87%).

Support for the West: how many Ukrainians believe that their partners are tired of the war?

The narratives that the West is getting tired of Ukraine, its support is weakening, and that its partners want concessions from Ukraine to russia began to be actively promoted in 2023. Experts around the world emphasize that in this way, russia wants to split society in the West and within Ukraine, because elections are currently underway in a number of countries, and some political forces are successfully speculating on the Ukrainian issue.

Therefore, russia's propaganda on these issues has been successful, as despite constant reminders from its partners that they will continue to support Ukraine, the share of Ukrainians who believe in "fatigue" has increased from 15% in September 2022 to 30% in October 2023.

However, the majority of the Ukrainian population still believes that the West will continue to help the country and wants the war to end with Ukraine's victory on terms acceptable to it. This is the opinion of 63% of respondents (compared to 73% in 2022).

russia's propaganda machine works around the clock, without breaks or days off, so it is important to filter your information space and understand that most of the negative narratives about Ukraine are the work of russia. Read more about why we believe in fakes and how our brains work here.

We remind you! The next elections in Ukraine should be held in 2024, but the law prohibits holding elections during martial law. Read more about how many Ukrainians support the idea of holding elections in wartime and how citizens feel about Zelenskyy now in our previous article.

Want to know more? Read the latest news and useful materials about Ukraine and the world in the News section.

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