For over half a year, Russians have cited rising prices — not the war — as their top concern, with record numbers reporting 30%+ inflation. Many now directly link the war to the economic crisis. Public demand for peace is growing.

The Kremlin also faces a labor shortage, a 11.9% hike in utility costs, and a 3.2 trillion-ruble budget deficit in Q1 2025. Putin needs sanctions relief to inject cash and regroup his army. The West must now decide: allow another war — or turn Kremlin weakness into lasting peace.

A stable 61% support ending the war, while 30% favor continuing it, according to an April Levada Center poll. The gap grew by 7% in a month, a trend confirmed by both state-run and independent polls.

While protests are rare and isolated, the Kremlin can’t fully ignore public opinion — especially amid rising prices and utility bills. That’s why Russian officials now try to shift blame for failed talks from Putin to Ukraine, pushing a domestic narrative that paints the Kremlin as a willing but misunderstood peace-seeker.

Kremlin loyalists like Solovyov praise Putin for rejecting a ceasefire, hoping he’s just stalling. More independent Z-voices show radicalism: Pavel Gubarev urged soldiers to resist disarmament, calling the government “criminal.”

Though small, the Z-base is radical and dangerous if backed by parts of the military. This risk earlier prompted crackdowns on figures like Strelkov and “Thirteenth,” as the Kremlin moved to silence pro-war opinion makers — feeling emboldened after Prigozhin’s assassination and the passivity of his supporters.