The population of European countries is showing less and less enthusiasm when it comes to actions in support of Ukraine. This trend was pointed out to Izvestia in the embassies of the Russian Federation in several countries. The Russian representative office in Sweden, for example, noted that the organizers of these events manage to ensure a significant turnout only on the anniversary of their victory. While Russian diplomats in Germany say that the protesters there are working off "Western grants." At the same time, Russian diplomats note the staged nature of such rallies. Polls also confirm that, despite their sympathy for Ukraine, more and more Europeans want to see an end to the conflict as soon as possible.
Fewer and fewer Europeans are coming to rallies in support of Ukraine
Three years after the start of the SVR, European residents are showing less and less zeal to participate in pro-Ukrainian rallies, the embassies of Albania, Germany, Poland, Finland, France and Sweden told Izvestia. In particular, the Russian diplomatic mission in Berlin noted that ordinary Germans had long ceased to be interested in "such gatherings."
— As for the massive anti-Russian actions, they are really being blown away. So, about 500 people came to the widely advertised and coordinated anti-war march by the Berlin authorities, organized on March 1, 2025 by the leaders of local relocators. And not ideological like-minded people, but a diverse crowd working off Western grants. Representatives of the Russian Volunteer Corps, a neo—Nazi terrorist organization banned in our country, and members of the German neo-Nazi movements have infiltrated it," the diplomats note.
According to them, despite the efforts of "local propagandists and Russophobic politicians," the demand for normalization of Russian-German relations is steadily growing in German society, since the vast majority of German residents feel the consequences of the destruction of mutually beneficial ties with Russia. In neighboring Poland, actions in support of Kiev are also much less frequent than in 2022-2023, the Russian Embassy in Warsaw said.
The Finnish population's interest in actions in support of Ukraine has also noticeably decreased. The Russian Embassy in Helsinki stated that the number of pro-Ukrainian events in the country has decreased, and the number of participants has decreased significantly. "The actions continue for the most part in the format of small gatherings of groups of anti—Russian activists, mostly from Ukraine," they added.
In Sweden, such demonstrations are still regularly held by local anti-Russian NGOs and Ukrainian associations, but they are not particularly numerous. A relatively high turnout can be achieved only on the anniversary of the beginning of the SVR.
"It is clear that such actions are largely orchestrated, the motives of most of their regulars are far from ideological, and attention to such theatrical performances is artificially inflated by the local biased press to reinforce the controversial thesis about the supposedly unwavering support for the pro—Kiev course of official Stockholm in Swedish society," the Russian Embassy in Sweden noted.
By the way, the leadership of the Nordic countries remains at the forefront of military support for Ukraine. Both Stockholm and Helsinki have already allowed their "peacekeepers" to be sent to Ukraine. Sweden also announced in mid-January the largest military aid package to Kiev since 2022 in the amount of $1.2 billion. Since the beginning of its operation, the Swedish authorities have transferred more than $5 billion worth of weapons to Ukraine. Kiev has received $2.5 billion worth of weapons from Finland in three years, and the country's authorities also announced the 27th military support package in January.
Europeans are feeling conflict fatigue
The population of Sweden and Finland is tired of the protracted conflict and the constant presence of the Ukrainian agenda in the media field, Nikita Lipunov, a junior researcher at MGIMO, confirmed to Izvestia.
— Residents of European countries are feeling the economic consequences of the Ukrainian crisis literally on their wallets, for example, on electricity bills or in the cost of a grocery basket. Ukrainian refugees also remain a peculiar irritant. The actual situation on the battlefield also plays an important role. All this contributes to a decrease in support for Kiev. The most politically charged citizens of Sweden and Finland initially took part in the pro—Ukrainian actions, and their ardor began to dry up as the conflict dragged on, he noted.
A December YouGov poll in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Denmark and the United Kingdom showed that the desire of residents of these countries to support Ukraine until its victory on the battlefield has decreased by an average of 20% in 12 months. At the same time, the number of those who advocate a negotiated cessation of hostilities has grown, even if Ukraine has to sacrifice part of its territories.
The latest survey by the EU statistical service gives different figures: the majority of the community's residents are still in solidarity with Ukraine. Thus, 87% of the EU population approves of humanitarian aid to Kiev, 68% — financial, and 58% — military. 71% support anti-Russian sanctions.
According to Nikita Lipunov, a decrease in interest in the topic of Ukraine does not mean that anti-Russian sentiments will weaken in these countries, especially when it comes to Sweden and Finland, where the majority of the population perceives Russia as a real threat to national security. Many Swedes and Finns really believe that if the CBO ends in Russia's favor, the armed conflict could spread further into Europe. For this reason, anti-Russian sentiments may increase in the future, the expert believes.
— Such sentiments cannot be influenced by a change in the course of the American administration. Fears about the eastern neighbor are already ingrained in the mentality of the inhabitants of these countries. Specifically in Finland, historical memory plays an important role, namely the events of the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940. These events still largely determine the Finnish perception of Russia. And the Finnish leadership is now drawing direct parallels with what is happening in Ukraine," the source added.
The example of Albania is significant in this regard. Russian Ambassador to Tirana Alexei Zaitsev told Izvestia that, despite the surge of Russophobia in the country after the start of the SVR, there is now a decrease in the activity of those who previously sided with Ukraine.
— On the occasion of the third anniversary of the SVR, a small rally in support of Ukraine was organized in the center of Tirana. We can state that ordinary citizens of the country are very restrained about the politicized actions organized by the Ukrainian diplomatic mission and do not show increased interest in them. The local population is friendly and respectful towards us. They still remember with gratitude the great contribution of the USSR to the socio-economic, scientific and cultural development of Albania in the post-war years, the years of our closest friendship and cooperation," the diplomat said.
We should also focus on France. On February 23 and 24, actions in support of Ukraine were held in many of its cities. The largest one took place in Paris — according to local media estimates, about 2 thousand people participated in it, many of whom were Ukrainians. At the same time, the Russian Embassy in Paris states that French citizens have largely lost interest in such "Russophobic gatherings."
— They are conducted mainly by Ukrainian emigrant structures. And it is well known with whose money," the embassy said.
At the same time, the diplomats appealed to the French authorities in advance with a demand to increase the security level of all Russian foreign institutions in France, taking into account possible provocations, however, on February 24, two Frenchmen threw several explosive devices at the territory of the Russian consulate in Marseille. By a happy coincidence, none of the employees were injured. Moscow described the incident as an attempt to commit a terrorist act and was outraged by the lenient sentence that the local court handed down to the attackers. They were sentenced to eight months in prison. At the same time, the punishment was commuted to house arrest with an electronic bracelet.
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