All the money Russia spent and all the intelligence assets it used to prop up its image did not really change the perception of Americans all that much. Half of Americans today label Russia as an outright enemy of the U.S., while 38% see Russia as a competitor and only 9% see it as a partner.
If Russia initiates the next stage soon of its war against the Baltics and/or Finland, and if more North Koreans and Chinese get involved, these numbers will get even worse for Moscow. The 38% who see Russia just as a competitor face the realization that all of Europe may fall and the US will run out of allies.
The latest study from Pew does not get into the details of how radical or irrational the 9% are who think Putin is their friend. There are still socialists who believe in the ultimate open return of their ideology on Russian soil, with the full marxist-leninist claptrap. They never have a problem making a deal with the devil to fight the other devil they think is bigger. Then we have the internet keyboard warriors who either don’t see/acknowlede the embarrassing rotting reality of Russia today, or who are Putin cultists or self-styled pragmatists who could never gain any status under Russian control.
To be a Putin supporter is a losing game and a fringe freakshow that is easily traceable by the NSA, the DHS, the FBI and other letter soup agencies. Individuals exhibit specific patterns with their internet use, and in combination with other attributes the algorithms can determine the likelyhood of them causing damage in the future. If you made the silly mistake of supporting a hostile foreign government over your own then the constitution will not offer you much protection anymore. Databases of these creatures can be cultivated and the algorithms can give suggestions of how to manage them: Wear them out, arrest some ringleaders and frighten the rest etc.
More Americans see Russia as an enemy now than they did before the invasion (50% vs. 41% in January 2022).
84% have little or no confidence in Putin’s leadership. More than four-in-ten Americans (44%) say the U.S. has a responsibility to help Ukraine defend itself from Russia’s invasion, while 53% say the nation does not have this responsibility. These numbers may change when Russia steps up its war game. Also, Americans will ultimately recognize the danger posed by China and North Korea. The US can’t handle it all and pay for it all, so reasonably the Europeans have to defend Ukraine and themselves for the most part.
Two-thirds of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say the U.S. has a responsibility help Ukraine defend itself, compared with 23% of Republicans and Republican leaners. This seems to be the only success of the Russian propaganda operation. Yet, we can assume American conseravatives will welcome EU efforts to create security.
https://www.pewresearch.org/2025/04/17/how-americans-view-russia-and-putin
An international survey from last summer tells us about Russia’s disastrous reputation worldwide:
Views of NATO, Russia and Ukraine Around the World | Pew Research Center
Views of Russia and Putin remain largely negative across 35 countries polled: A median of 65% have an unfavorable view of Russia and 73% lack confidence in the Russian leader to do the right thing regarding world affairs.
In Germany, for example, about a quarter (26%) of supporters of the extreme rightwing party Alternative for Germany (AfD) had confidence in Putin in 2023. Now, 45% do. Which is not even half and may cause the biggest frictions in the following months and years. The GOP has been trying to attract European rightwingers and wants them to choose between Trump and Putin.
The share of Turks with a positive view of NATO has nearly doubled since 2019. Today, 42% have a favorable opinion of the alliance, up from 21% in 2019.
Roughly nine-in-ten adults in Poland have a favorable view of NATO. 97% have an unfavorable view of Russia and 98% have no confidence in Putin on the world stage.
Zelenskyy’s popularity is mid-level. He has done a remarkable job communicating the position of Ukraine, yet he is hindered by his past as an actor who lacks the background and networks of a leader.
NATO is popular in Sweden now. About seven-in-ten Swedes have a positive view of NATO.
At least three-quarters of adults in Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, South Korea and the U.S. – as well as in many European countries – have an unfavorable view of Russia. In many high-income countries surveyed, majorities have a very unfavorable view of Russia.
Roughly a quarter of Israelis on the ideological left (26%) have confidence in the Russian president, compared with only 6% of those on the right. We see a similar pattern in Japan.
