The war in Ukraine is no longer something Russians can watch from a distance. After years of conflict largely contained to Ukrainian territory, ordinary Russians are growing anxious and angry as the war increasingly affects daily life at home. Polling shows a sharp rise in unease, and shortages of basic goods have become impossible to ignore.
In recent months, the conflict has arrived on Russian soil in ways not seen since the initial mobilization of reservists in 2022. Across the country, conversations now center on petrol shortages, drone strikes, Internet outages, and the looming threat of another round of conscription.
On July 2, the Public Opinion Foundation, a pollster with ties to the Kremlin, reported that 55% of respondents said their colleagues and relatives felt anxious. That figure represents a jump of 15 percentage points from 2025. The numbers suggest a population that is increasingly unsettled by the trajectory of a conflict the government has long sought to keep at arm’s length.
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Gasoline has become a particular problem. It is now being rationed, with daily allowances limited to 20 or 30 liters — roughly 5.5 to 8 gallons — as Ukrainian drones continue to target Russian oil refineries. The shortages are visible at pumps and in daily routines that were previously taken for granted.
Ukraine has dramatically expanded its drone capabilities. Its unmanned systems can now reach targets up to 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles) inside Russia. That range was demonstrated on July 6, when a drone attack struck Siberia, hitting the nation’s largest refinery in Omsk, approximately 2,500 kilometers (1,554 miles) from the front line.
Until recently, most Russians had little way to verify whether President Vladimir Putin was telling the truth about the war’s progress. The official narrative had held relatively well. But as drone strikes hit deeper and shortages mount, the gap between Kremlin rhetoric and lived reality has become harder to ignore.
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It is possible that this shift in public mood represents a genuine turning point, or it may be temporary. What is clear is that the mechanisms the government relied on to insulate the population from the war — distance, censorship, and controlled messaging — are showing real strain. Whether that strain translates into political pressure or simply deeper resignation remains an open question.
Mr. Putin continues to insist that the war is proceeding according to plan. In a recent interview with a Russian-language publication, he said: “Everything is operating steadily and with a substantial margin of resilience.” But the polling data and the growing list of daily disruptions suggest that many Russians are not sharing that assessment. The fear of a new mobilization order hangs over communities that have already lost neighbors and relatives to the front line.
