Ukrainian serviceman of the Khartia brigade fires towards Russian positions in the Kharkiv region, Ukraine, on March 12.
| Photo Credit: AP
The Russia-Ukraine war continues to significantly impact global geopolitics. And as the war enters its fourth year it is important to understand Indian public opinion on Russia’s actions, which seems to remain complex and fractured. When asked about the issue, 27% of respondents believed that Russia’s actions were necessary, while a larger section, 34%, viewed them as unjustified. However, a notable proportion of respondents, 23%, admitted to being unaware of the issue. This lack of awareness highlights a significant knowledge gap among Indians when it comes to international affairs. Furthermore, 16% of respondents chose not to express an opinion on the matter (Table 1). These findings collectively underscore the complexity and diversity of Indian perspectives on Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
Education and awareness
The study yielded a significant finding regarding the impact of education in shaping public opinion about the war (Table 2).
Among respondents with limited or no formal education, a substantial 42% were unaware about the issue. Moreover, only 19% of this group viewed Russia’s actions as unjustified, suggesting a relatively low level of engagement with international affairs. In the case of respondents with intermediate/under graduate level of education, there was a significant percentage who believed that Russia’s actions were necessary (27%), followed by another 27% of respondents not being aware about the war and 24% of the respondents believing Russia’s actions are unjustified. In contrast, respondents with a college education exhibited a markedly different profile. A significant 41% of this group criticised Russia’s actions, indicating a stronger stance on the issue. Furthermore, only 16% of college-educated respondents were unaware of the conflict, highlighting a substantially higher level of awareness and engagement with global events. These findings suggest that higher education levels strongly correlate with greater awareness, critical thinking, and opinion formation on global affairs.
Exposure to the Western world through different mediums emerged as a significant factor in shaping Indian perspectives on the Russia-Ukraine conflict as highlighted in Table 3.
Respondents with no exposure to Western entertainment were more likely to be not aware about the conflict (37%) or refrained from expressing an opinion (27%). There was a comparatively small per cent of respondents with no exposure who felt Russia’s actions were necessary at 16%, in contrast to 21% who considered the actions unjustified. In contrast, individuals with moderate exposure to western entertainment exhibited more defined views. Notably, those with moderate exposure were more likely to view Russia’s actions as unjustified at 44% in contrast to 32% considering it necessary. Those with high exposure were almost equally divided between viewing Russia’s actions as necessary (39%) and 37% considering it unjustified. These findings suggest that familiarity with Western media may have played a role in shaping perspectives on the conflict, highlighting the influence of global media on public opinion.
The study also explored how opinions on the Russia-Ukraine conflict varied across cities of different sizes as highlighted in Table 4.
Interestingly, the data revealed that respondents from smaller cities were the most critical of Russia’s actions, with a significant 41% deeming them unjustified. In the case of mid-sized cities, 31% considered Russia’s action as unjustified and 26% considered it justified. Among respondents from big cities, 31% considered Russia’s actions necessary, and 32% considered Russia’s action as unjustified. There was also a percentage of respondents across different city types who had no opinion on Russia’s action, with 18% in small cities, 16% in mid-sized cities and 17% in big cities. The findings imply that the complexity of urban environments, with their diverse populations and information ecosystems, can lead to a more polarised public discourse on international issues.
These findings underscore the complexity of Indian perspectives on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, revealing that socio-economic and cultural factors significantly influence public opinion. These factors contribute to a nuanced public discourse, highlighting the diversity of perspectives within society.
The authors are researchers at Lokniti-CSDS. This analysis is based on data collected during a comprehensive study on Indian Perceptions of Europe and Germany, jointly undertaken by Lokniti-CSDS with financial support from the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, India Office.
Published – March 13, 2025 08:30 am IST
