New Year’s Aspirations for Peace: Russians Yearn for an End to War in 2026

As 2025 comes to an end, many Russians are looking forward to the new year with hopes that it might signal the end of the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine, a conflict that has led to the deaths of tens of thousands and displaced millions over nearly four years of hostilities.

Despite the lack of success in U.S.-brokered peace initiatives this year, several Russians interviewed by The Moscow Times expressed a lingering hope for peace as they celebrate the New Year, the country’s most cherished holiday.

«My wish for my fellow citizens is simple: an end to the war,» stated Andrei, 30.

A significant majority of Russians—approximately 65%—feel it is time to initiate peace talks, according to a November survey conducted by the Levada Center, the last major independent polling organization in Russia.

«A genuine miracle is what I hope for Russia, as only something extraordinary could help achieve peace or at least bring a halt to the fighting,» shared a Moscow resident, who chose to remain anonymous, describing the difficulties of enduring life under wartime isolation.

For Ukraine, 2025 has turned out to be one of the deadliest years in the conflict as Russian assaults have escalated. Civilian deaths from January to November were reported to be 24% higher than in the same timeframe of 2024, according to the United Nations.

Russian forces have made some progress, including claiming the Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, but the overall front lines remain largely static, and both sides continue to incur substantial losses.

As reported by an independent count by Mediazona and BBC Russian, more than 156,000 Russian soldiers have died since the conflict began, with the actual toll likely being even higher.

Although there have been multiple attempts to broker peace, the fighting appears far from resolution, with both parties unwilling to compromise on their fundamental demands.

“In the military, we sincerely hope that by 2026 we may have more clarity regarding when the war will conclude,” a Russian serviceman remarked to The Moscow Times.

«Though lasting peace seems unlikely, we anticipate significant changes within Ukrainian society and, hopefully, a shift in the Ukrainian leadership,» he stated, echoing the Kremlin’s narrative that President Volodymyr Zelensky lacks legitimacy since his official term has expired and elections were suspended due to martial law.

«It would be preferable to see fewer deaths,» he added.

Since beginning its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Moscow has aimed to insulate ordinary citizens from the war’s repercussions. However, almost four years in, the conflict has permeated various facets of daily life, leading to wartime censorship, increased military conscription, and growing repression, alongside the economic strain inflicted by Western sanctions.

As evidence of the growing financial strain on households, about 87% of Russians plan to celebrate New Year’s this year, yet many indicate they will cut back on festive spending.

“I’ve never seen anything like this before; everyone, regardless of their income level, is lamenting rising prices and increased taxes,” a woman from Moscow expressed.

She also mentioned that daily life is increasingly disrupted by limitations on messaging platforms like Telegram, WhatsApp, and FaceTime, which Russia began restricting in 2025, as well as previously blocked social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and X.

The restrictions on online activity do not end there. A law enacted this year now subjects Russians to fines for intentionally searching for «extremist» materials online.

This law pertains to any investigations into content classified as extremist by the Justice Ministry, which maintains an extensive list. Many critics of the Kremlin, including Alexei Navalny’s network and independent journalists, have been designated as «extremist.»

According to the rights monitoring group OVD-Info, security services launched criminal cases against at least 173 individuals for political reasons in the first half of 2025.

While OVD-Info noted a decrease in politically motivated cases following a spike in 2022, this trend could also be attributed to «increased self-censorship» following severe penalties for anti-war activists and public figures who have sought refuge abroad to evade imprisonment.

Various estimates suggest that at least 650,000 Russians left the country after the war began to escape political persecution or military conscription.

One teenager told The Moscow Times that she wishes for the new year to see “all ‘foreign agents’ able to return home.”

The situation for LGBTQ+ individuals has also continued to worsen, according to the rights group Vykhod (Coming Out).

At least 20 individuals faced criminal proceedings in 2024–2025 due to their suspected involvement in the globally condemned “international LGBT public movement,” which Russia criminalized in 2023, according to Human Rights Watch.

“For 2026, I hope for the repeal of laws that restrict personal choices, such as pressures aimed at limiting abortion access and accusations related to supposed ‘homosexual propaganda,’” a 24-year-old member of the Russian LGBTQ+ community told The Moscow Times.

“I also desire an end to the war as swiftly as possible, the restoration of relationships with other nations, and the revitalization of the economy,” he added.

Some Russians express nostalgia for life before the war.

“I hope that we can all take a step back, pause, and truly reflect” before 2026, suggested a small business owner from the Orenburg region. “To mentally revisit moments like the 2018 World Cup, when the world was captivated by our country’s beauty, hospitality, and joy. Or to remember when you could fly from Sheremetyevo Airport to nearly any European capital.”

“To the Russian people, I wish love and hope. Love that is expansive and unifying, and hope that is innocent and resilient enough to lead us to believe that something better and more just lies ahead,” she concluded.

In a similar vein, a couple of entrepreneurs from the southern Krasnodar region expressed parallel hopes for the New Year.

“Our wish for the coming year is for all of humanity to embrace love and forgiveness as we bid farewell to the current year,” they commented. “If each individual considers whether they have harmed someone and makes an effort, even a small one, to be kinder and more considerate, perhaps that is the essence of happiness—showing kindness to one another and fostering love for ourselves.”