Public support for Putin’s invasion of Ukraine ‘falling significantly’, says UK

Russian public support for the war in Ukraine is plummeting, British defence chiefs have said.

Data from Russia’s Federal Protective Service reportedly found that only 25 per cent of Russians support the conflict.

In addition, around 55 per cent of the public are in favour of peace talks with Ukraine.

In its latest intelligence update, the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) said: “Recent polling suggests that Russian public support for the ‘special military operation’ is falling significantly.

“An independent Russian media outlet has claimed access to data collected by Russia’s Federal Protective Service for internal use.

Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 04 December 2022

Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/wgwjroo1ys

🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/pSq13JBIrv

— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) December 4, 2022

“The data indicated 55 percent of Russians favour peace talks with Ukraine, with only 25 percent claiming to support continuing the conflict.”

According to the update, in April around 80 per cent of Russians supported the so-called “military operation”.

They added: “Despite the Russian authorities’ efforts to enforce pervasive control of the information environment, the conflict has become increasingly tangible for many Russians since the September 2022 ‘partial mobilisation’.

“With Russia unlikely to achieve major battlefield successes in the next several months, maintaining even tacit approval of the war amongst the population is likely to be increasingly difficult for the Kremlin.”

It follows reports that Russia is open to peace talks if the West recognises illegally seized Ukraine territories as belonging to Moscow.

Speaking after talks on Thursday at the White House with the French President, Emmanuel Macron, US President Biden also said he was ready to speak to Mr Putin "if in fact there is an interest in him deciding he’s looking for a way to end the war", adding that he "hasn’t done that yet".

Mr Biden has not spoken directly with the Russian President since the invasion of Ukraine. In March, Mr Biden branded Mr Putin a "butcher" who "cannot stay in power".