Gallup report: Russia loses support worldwide
Russia’s image took a hit worldwide after it invaded Ukraine in 2022, according to a recent Gallup report, including in post-Soviet states that Russia considers part of its sphere of influence.
Overall, approval of Russia’s leadership fell sharply among most of Russia’s neighbors between 2021 and 2022. In countries that have been generally skeptical of Russia’s leadership in recent decades -- Ukraine, Georgia and the Baltic states -- the gap between the lower percentage who approve and the higher percentage who disapprove has turned into a chasm reads Gallup.
In four countries historically sympathetic to Russian leadership -- Armenia, Moldova, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan -- the percentage who disapprove now exceeds the percentage who approve. For example, approval of Russian leadership in Armenia dropped 13 percentage points (from 45% to 32%) between 2021 and 2022, while disapproval rose 20 percentage points (from 38% to 58%).
The 2022 invasion of Ukraine affected views of Russia’s leadership across post-Soviet countries more than the 2014 conflict did. Russia’s occupation of Crimea and support for separatist territories in the Donbas in 2014 precipitated marked declines in approval of Russia’s leadership among Estonians, Latvians, Lithuanians and Ukrainians. In those countries, the gap between the approval and disapproval trends persisted through 2021, only to grow even larger in 2022. People who identify as ethnic Russians in Kazakhstan, Estonia and Latvia -- the countries with the largest such groups as a percentage of the national population -- are increasingly rejecting Russia’s actions.
Fewer people living in the countries with the largest Russian diasporas per capita -- Kazakhstan, Latvia and Estonia -- are identifying as Russian. This decline became more apparent across all three countries in 2022.
Russia’s diminished stature in its own sphere may leave space for other superpowers -- such as the U.S. and China -- to gain influence in the region. Approval ratings in the Baltic states and especially in Ukraine show U.S. leadership has gained greater favorability relative to Russian and Chinese leadership.
