More than two thirds of Russian prisoners of war believe that Russia’s war against Ukraine is justified and necessary, while more than 40% do not perceive Ukrainians as fully human. OBOZ.UA reports this citing the results of a study conducted by the public organization LingvaLexa.
The research was carried out with the support of the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine and in partnership with the European Association of Military Social Psychology, the Kyiv School of Economics and the law firm Mitrax. The average level of perceived legitimacy of the so-called “SMO” was 35.81%, which corresponds to a moderate level, while 68.29% of respondents considered the war to be to some extent lawful, justified and necessary.
Among prisoners who trust Russian propaganda, about 88% stated that the invasion was justified, whereas among those who do not share propaganda narratives, 51% expressed such a view. Around 13% of respondents who believe propaganda described the war as completely justified and necessary, compared to 2% among skeptics, which researchers described as a psychologically significant difference.
Overall, 47.61% of prisoners on average believe in Kremlin narratives, while at least one propaganda message is believed by 76.95%. In addition, 42.94% of respondents stated that an average Ukrainian allegedly is not a fully human being, and they rated Ukrainians’ “level of development” at 88% compared to other nations.
32.71% of respondents said they intend to rejoin the Russian Armed Forces after release, 28.92% are ready to return to non-combat units, and 22.29% indicated a certain likelihood of participating in combat again. Among those who strongly believe in propaganda, the share willing to return to the front is 33%, compared to 17% among those who believe weakly.
Regarding voluntary surrender, about 9% of committed propaganda supporters indicated such a possibility, compared to approximately 15% among those who do not trust propaganda. The study, conducted using standardized printed questionnaires, surveyed 1,060 Russian prisoners of war with an average age of 39.