IKAR presented the study «Mirror of Russia» in the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania

On May 22, 2023, the International Conference "Russian Public Attitudes Towards War: Why the Problem of the Russian Federation is not Limited to Putin's Regime?" took place in the Constitution Hall of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania.

The conference was attended by European politicians, including:

• Arvydas Anušauskas, Lithuania’s Minister of Defense

• Dovilė Šakalienė, Member of National Security and Defense Committee

• Andre Gattolin, senator of the French Senate;

• Jörg Nürnberger, Member of the Defence Committee of the German Bundestag;

• Kęstutis Budrys, the Senior National Security Adviser to the President of the Republic of Lithuania, Head of the National Security Group;

In addition, the event saw the participation of influential international institutions, research centers, and representatives from the diplomatic community:

• Stephen Nix, International Republican Institute, USA;

• prof. Michito Tsuruoka, Keio University/Australian National University;

• Reinhard Krumm, Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Germany;

• Linas Kojala, Eastern Europe Studies Centre, Republic of Lithuania.

• Marie Stojanovová, first Secretary, Embassy of the Czech Republic to the Republic of Lithuania

Oleksander Shulga, the main speaker at the event and director of the Institute of Conflict Science and Analysis of Russia (IKAR), presented the findings of a six-month study called "Mirror of Russia" that focused on the Russian society.

The study examined various aspects of Russian society's perception of reality, including their attitude towards the war, moral assessment of attacks on Ukraine's civil infrastructure, levels of protest, attitudes towards mobilization, and other relevant topics. These findings generated significant interest among the conference attendees.

Oleksander Shulga emphasized the varying attitudes of different segments of Russian society towards these complex issues and highlighted how public opinion has evolved over time.

In addition to discussing the study's results, conference participants expressed curiosity about the scientific methodologies employed in conducting the research, which allowed for the acquisition of high-quality sociological data.

Armenak Ohanesian, the head of legal studies at IKAR, presented a concise report on the Institute's developed measures of "lawfare" – the application of legal tactics to achieve military objectives.

Reinhard Krumm (Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Germany) emphasized the need for the collective West to focus on the minority sections of Russia's population that hold a negative attitude towards their country's aggression and Putin's regime.

Key topics of discussion included the rise in defense budgets among EU countries, the expeditious provision of military assistance to Ukraine, and the support for Ukraine's aspirations to join NATO.

Concluding the event, Deauville Shakaliene, a member of the National Security and Defense Committee of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, expressed her gratitude to the participants for their active engagement in the discussion. She underscored the importance of the ICAR study's results in comprehending the ongoing processes within Russian society and shaping the future defense policy of the European Union.