Russians are growing increasingly anxious and angry as the war in Ukraine increasingly reaches their own soil. What was once a conflict fought far from home has become an everyday reality marked by fuel shortages, drone strikes, and the constant threat of another mobilization.
For the first time since reservists were called up in 2022, the mood inside Russia has shifted sharply toward unease, according to recent polling and reports from inside the country.
War Comes Home With Fuel Rationing and Drone Attacks
In recent months, the war’s physical reach has expanded dramatically.
Gasoline is now in short supply and being rationed. Daily allowances are limited to 20 or 30 liters per person — about 5.5 to 8 gallons — as Kyiv continues targeting the country’s oil infrastructure.
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Conversations across the country now routinely turn to petrol shortages, Internet outages, and the possibility of a new round of mobilization. The sense of normalcy that had settled in after the initial shock of 2022 has eroded.
For ordinary Russians, the gap between what the Kremlin says and what they experience daily has become impossible to ignore. The war is no longer something happening elsewhere — it is happening in their cities, at their gas stations, and in their homes.
Polling Data Shows a Sharp Rise in Anxiety
The Public Opinion Foundation, a pollster with close ties to the Kremlin, reported that 55% of those surveyed said their colleagues and relatives felt anxious. That figure is up 15 percentage points from 2025, a clear sign that the mood is worsening.
Until recently, many Russians had little way to verify whether President Vladimir Putin’s public assessments of the war were accurate.
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That has changed.
Putin continues to insist that the war is largely going 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 tells a different story. The increase in anxiety over the past year suggests that the steady drumbeat of war-related disruptions is wearing down public confidence. Fuel shortages alone have become a daily irritant that no amount of official messaging can easily explain away.
