Russian population according to a big sociological survey:

Question: Who is responsible for death and destruction in Ukraine?

Answer:

  • US & NATO: Jun 23: 56% → Jun 24: 65%
  • Ukraine: Jun 23: 16% → Jun 24: 11%
  • Russia: Jun 23: 8% → Jun 24: 6%
  • Nobody: 8% (no change)
  • Other: Jun 23: 6% → Jun 24: 3%
  • Hard to answer: Jun 23: 6% → Jun 24: 7%

Other than the gullibility & indifference of Russians, the relative change in the numbers seems to show a reorientation of the propaganda from decades of demonizing Ukraine mainly to US/NATO.

Note the number of those who blame Ukraine also fell significantly. I don’t think it is because of some “new understanding,” but rather due to refusing the agency to Ukraine: by the current rulebooks, it is rather “Western mercenaries w/ Western weapons pushing dumb khokhols”.

They need to believe there is some “trick” that will allow them to win, some “secret button”: if we con the West to stop “pushing”, they would be “brothers”/slaves again!

They can’t allow themselves to think that it is we, the real people of Ukraine, hate them and will fight them no matter what.