Most Russians are no longer paying close attention to the war in Ukraine, according to the latest survey from the independent Levada Center, highlighting a gradual decline in public engagement with a conflict that has dominated Russian political life for more than four years.

The poll, conducted in June, found two thirds (66%) of Russians say they only casually or not particularly closely up from a third (35%) in March. Only 13% of respondents said they follow developments around Ukraine “very closely”, down from 29% in March 2022, shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion. A further 28% said they follow events “fairly closely”, meaning that a combined 41% are actively monitoring the conflict, compared with 64% at the start of the war.

By contrast, 38% of respondents said they pay attention to the war “without particular attention”, while 28% said they do not follow it closely. Just 1% said they had not heard about the conflict or found it difficult to answer.

The findings suggest that the war has increasingly become part of the background of daily life for many Russians, despite continuing military operations and a growing number of attacks on Russian soil by long-range Ukrainian drones.

The decline in attention has been gradual rather than abrupt. Throughout 2022 and 2023, roughly half of respondents said they followed events in Ukraine either very or fairly closely. That share has steadily fallen during 2024 and 2025.

The results come as Russian authorities continue to present the conflict as a central national priority. State television devotes extensive coverage to military developments, while government officials regularly frame the war as a defining struggle against Nato.

Levada, one of Russia’s best-known polling organisations, has continued to track public attitudes towards the conflict since the invasion began. The organisation is designated a “foreign agent” by the Russian authorities, a label it rejects.