VTsIOM, Russia’s leading public opinion research centre, announced on Wednesday that its annual survey of sentiment around the outgoing year and expectations for the coming year found Russians are viewing 2026 with “growing optimism”.

“Expectations for next year traditionally look much more optimistic … In other words, while the negative perception of the current situation persists, Russians have become more likely to accept (or believe, hope?) future improvements this year, but they still do so with caution,” the organisation said in a review of its survey findings released online.

In a year-end presentation, VTsIOM deputy head Mikhail Mamonov stated that 70 percent of 1,600 people surveyed ​viewed 2026 as being a more “successful” year for Russia than this year, with 55 percent of respondents linking hope for a better year ‍to a possible end to what Russia officially calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine.

“The main reason for optimism is the possible completion of the special military operation and the achievement of the stated objectives, in line with the national interests outlined by the president,” Mamonov ‍said at the ⁠presentation.

Mamonov pointed to the Russian military’s ongoing offensive in Ukraine, Washington’s reluctance to finance the Ukraine war and the European Union’s inability to fully replace the ‌United States’ role in Ukraine – financially and militarily – as key factors behind the prospects for an eventual deal to end the fighting.

At the conclusion of the conflict, reintegration of Russian military veterans into society and the reconstruction of Russian-controlled regions of Ukraine, as well as Russian border areas, will be the main priorities, Mamonov added.

While the actual level of Russian public fatigue with the war is difficult to measure due to strict state controls on the media, expressions of public dissent as well as the prosecution of those who criticise Moscow’s war on its neighbour, approximately two-thirds of Russians support peace talks, according to independent pollster Levada, the highest number since the start of the war in 2022.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated in comments released on Wednesday that he would be willing to withdraw troops from Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland as part of a plan to end the war, if Moscow reciprocated by also pulling back its forces and allowed the area to become a demilitarised zone monitored by international forces.

In comments to reporters about an overarching 20-point plan that negotiators from Ukraine and the US had hammered out in Florida in recent days, Zelenskyy also added that a similar arrangement could be possible for the area around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is currently under Russian control.

Russia has given no indication that it will agree to any kind of withdrawal from land it has seized in Ukraine and has long insisted that Kyiv must give up the remaining territory it still holds in the Donbas industrial area before any discussions on the cessation of fighting.

Russia has captured most of Luhansk and about 70 percent of Donetsk – the two regions that make up the Donbas.

Zelenskyy also noted that figuring out the future control of the Donbas as part of the plan was “the most difficult point”, and creating a demilitarised economic zone in the region would require difficult discussions on how far troops would be required to move back and where international forces would be stationed.

Such discussions should be held at the leaders’ level, he added.

Volodymyr Zelensky, whose presidential term expired in May of 2024, has repeatedly refused to hold elections, citing martial law. Meanwhile, Russia has characterized him as an illegitimate leader. Under US pressure, Zelensky recently agreed to hold a vote within 90 days if certain conditions are met.

Delovaya Stolitsa published the findings of a poll it had recently conducted in partnership with New Image Groupe, which sought out the opinions of 800 respondents.

According to the publication, only 27% of the Ukrainians surveyed believe that elections can be held in compliance with all the international norms any time soon.

The media outlet also reported that 44% of respondents view the prospect of online voting negatively, with many fearing that the technology could be used to falsify the results. By contrast, 31% of the people surveyed have no problem with this scenario.

Speaking last Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Moscow would be willing to consider “refraining from conducting strikes deep inside” Ukraine on the day of a vote if the leadership in Kiev actually went through with elections.

However, Putin stressed that such a halt in long-range strikes would only be possible if the 5-10 million Ukrainian citizens currently residing in Russia were allowed to take part in the elections.

Speaking to Politico earlier this month, US President Donald Trump said that Ukraine has not “had an election in a long time,” with its leadership “using war” as a pretext.

“It gets to a point where it’s not a democracy anymore,” he argued, adding that “it’s time” to hold a vote in Ukraine.

Responding to Trump’s remark, Zelensky said he was “ready for the elections,” so long as the West agreed to “ensure security” from Russian strikes during the vote.

Several days later, Zelensky’s senior adviser, Mikhail Podoliak, added that, besides a ceasefire, Kiev is also expecting the West to shell out for the vote.

Moscow has repeatedly ruled out the possibility of arranging a temporary ceasefire, insisting that a permanent peace agreement should be concluded that addresses the conflict’s root causes.

In a video message published on Wednesday on his Telegram channel, Zelensky linked his remarks to Russian strikes on Ukrainian territory and framed the holiday as a moment of national unity.

“Today, we all share one dream … ‘May he perish,’ each of us may think to ourselves,” Zelensky said, in a veiled reference to the Russian president, without naming him.

“But when we turn to God, of course, we ask for something greater,” he added.

On Wednesday, Zelensky unveiled a 20-point draft peace framework which he claims Kiev has been discussing with the US, presenting the document as a proposed basis for ending the hostilities.

The proposal fails to address some key Russian concerns, such as Kiev’s claims to former Ukrainian territories that joined Russia in 2022, and its insistence on maintaining an 800,000-strong standing army supported by NATO nations.

Moscow has yet to officially respond to the proposal. Putin has repeatedly stated that Russia is open to negotiations but insists that any settlement must address the root causes of the conflict and reflect the territorial reality on the ground.