Echoes of War: Public Perception of the Russian-Ukrainian War in Central Asia

Russia's war against Ukraine became a watershed moment in modern history. Two years later, it is obvious that all countries of the world are somehow involved in this bloody and tragic conflict. Central Asian countries are in the immediate area of influence of this major confrontation. Shared history, common information space, and political and economic dependence on Russia make the countries of the region particularly vulnerable to the impact of war.

Public opinion research is one way to track the impact of the war on a region. While there is not much research on this topic in Central Asia, a considerable amount of data has already been accumulated on the public perception of the conflict . Owing to the work of such independent research projects as the Central Asia Barometer Survey and Demoscope, we have an opportunity to learn which party to the conflict respondents in the region support, who they hold responsible for the situation, and what their opinions are regarding the timeline and scenario for the end of the war. The survey results have been made publicly available and are of significant public interest, opening the door to both community and expert discussion.

However, the available publications based on the results of public opinion surveys present only a generalized picture of the war perception in Central Asia while failing to reveal the factors that shape certain opinions. To fill this gap, we decided to collect and organize the available data into a single report that provides a more profound perspective on the public perception of the Russian-Ukrainian war in the countries of the region.

The analytical report was initiated by the Paperlab Research Center and prepared with the support of Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Kazakhstan Office. The translation of this report in English was made possible with the support of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom.