Russia is losing favor with CIS citizens

The full-scale invasion of Ukraine has worsened the position and attitude towards Russia in all post-Soviet countries. This is evidenced by a Gallup poll, Radio Liberty reports.

In most countries of the former Soviet Union, a space that the Kremlin considered to be a zone of its interests and special influence, approval of the Russian leadership's actions has dropped by more than ten percent.

In Azerbaijan, it dropped by 2.6 times, to 23% of those who approve of Moscow's decisions. In other countries that have historically been sympathetic to the Russian leadership - Armenia, Kazakhstan, and Moldova - the share of those who disapprove of Russia has also exceeded the share of those who approve for the first time.

In Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, there is more sympathy for Russia, although there, too, approval of the Russian government has seriously declined.

In addition, because of the war, the Russian government is losing the sympathy of the Russian diaspora in its neighboring countries. For the first time in 15 years of Gallup polls, a majority of ethnic Russians have expressed their disapproval of Russia in Estonia and Latvia, and disapproval has increased sharply in Kazakhstan.

At the same time, the authority of the US leadership has grown in Ukraine and the Baltic states. In most post-Soviet countries, it is already higher than Russia's, according to Gallup's graphs.

Author - Serhii Kolomiets, 27/05/2023