Debts, migrants, and Telegram - Ukraine's intelligence named Russians' main fears

Economic problems have become the main source of anxiety for Russians, and the total household debt in the Russian Federation exceeded 45 trillion rubles for the first time at the beginning of 2026. This was reported by the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, according to UNN.

Details

According to the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, 80% of Russians cite the economic situation as the main reason for concern. This assessment is related to the deteriorating financial situation in the country, the growing debt burden on the population, inflation, unemployment, and impoverishment.

As reported by the Foreign Intelligence Service, almost half of the total household debt in the Russian Federation, namely 48.1%, is mortgages. Another 29.7% accounts for consumer loans, and 6.8% for car loans. The rest is formed by microfinance obligations and other debts.

The second highest level of public anxiety in Russia was the migration issue. It was named a problem by 79% of respondents. The Foreign Intelligence Service noted that against this background, the Russian authorities are tightening migration legislation, while businesses are simultaneously importing foreign labor to compensate for the personnel shortage.

According to various estimates, the number of migrants in the Russian Federation can reach 20 million people. The Foreign Intelligence Service noted that Kremlin propaganda actively uses this topic, portraying migrants as culprits for unemployment, rising crime, and evasion of participation in the war against Ukraine.

The Foreign Intelligence Service emphasized that such informational messages are not unique to Russia, but in fact repeat global anti-migration populist narratives.

The third place among the problems that most concern Russians was the possible blocking of Telegram. This issue was called painful by 77% of respondents.

For Russian society, the ability to communicate turned out to be more important than the lack of progress in the war against Ukraine, which was named a problem by 75% of respondents. Also, several steps lower in the ranking of anxieties were housing problems - 70%, the state of medicine - 69%, and crime - 67%.

Recall

In early April, the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine reported that Russians are massively pawning property due to lack of funds and high interest rates. Due to falling incomes and banking restrictions, demand for pawnshop services in the Russian Federation increased by 15%. The market could reach 1 trillion rubles amid deposit outflows.