Russians' confidence in military dips as Ukraine war drags on - poll

The Russian public's faith in their military has fallen, though it still remains high, according to a Gallup poll published on Tuesday. 

The US pollsters said Russia's failure to win the Ukraine war quickly - originally expected to last only weeks - had "slightly dented" Russians' confidence in the country's military. 

Setbacks on the battlefield have "spurred discontent", according to Gallup. 

After nearly two years of fighting in Ukraine, casualties have mounted for both Russian and Ukrainian armies since the war began in February 2022. 

Moscow announced a partial mobilisation of 300,000 men in September 2022, sparking protests across the country. It later put forward plans to increase the size of the military by more than 30% in 2023. 

Three in four Russians (75%) interviewed by Gallup this summer said they were confident in the military, down from the 80% measured at the start of the invasion. 

Not one single demographic group drove this fall, with men and women, young and old, rich and poor, all expressing less confidence in Russia's armed forces. 

"If people’s confidence in the military continues to fall in 2024, this may pose an even greater challenge to the Russian leadership in maintaining public support for the conflict it has yet to win," Gallup wrote on its website. 

Maintaining public morale is also an issue in Ukraine, as the war grinds on. 

Gallup's poll found that faith in the army was still "robust", with three in every four adults confident in their military men. This is still "in line with the European media from 2022," they detailed. 

Their survey revealed, at the same time, Russians' confidence in other institutions had increased, despite knocked confidence in the military.

Faith in the police, financial