Thirty-nine percent of Russians believe that "the use of nuclear weapons could be justified" during Russia's war in Ukraine, Alexey Levinson, chief of the sociocultural research department at the Russian independent polling organization Levada Center, said at a conference on Nov. 29.
Levinson cited a poll conducted by the Levada Center in November. The poll results haven't been published yet.
According to this and previous polls, the number of people supporting Russia's potential use of nuclear weapons has grown incrementally over the past months, as Russia has further escalated its nuclear blackmail.
In November, President Vladimir Putin approved the country's updated nuclear doctrine and threatened more attacks after the launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile "Oreshnik" designed for nuclear weapons on Ukraine on Nov. 21.
Russia has repeatedly issued nuclear threats against Ukraine and the West since the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but the threats have failed to materialize.
However, Putin's talks of a potential nuclear strike "gradually lead to an increase in the proportion of (Russians) who believe it is acceptable, in fact, morally justified," Levinson said during the conference.
According to the Levada Center polls, the percentage of Russians opposed to using nuclear weapons dropped from 52% in June to 45% in November.
Polls conducted by the Levada Center throughout the war have found a consistent and overwhelming majority of Russians support Putin and believe the country is on the right path as it continues to wage a war of aggression against Ukraine.
Chris York
(Updated: )
