SOCIETY
Russians See Soldiers and Sick Kids as Equally in Need of Charity
February 11, 2025
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Elena PanfilovaCommentator, Novaya Gazeta
Based on survey data, researcher Elena Panfilova analyzes Russians’ views on charity, how they have changed since the start of the Ukraine conflict and what they might reveal about actual public support for the Kremlin’s “special military operation.”
This material was produced as part of the Laboratory of the Future project of Novaya Gazeta and the Levada Center.
The original text in Russian was published in Novaya Gazeta and is being republished here with small changes and the author’s permission.
In the last two or three years, your author has repeatedly heard from acquaintances who stayed in Russia after February 2022 that one of the most important things that helps them to bear the weight of the grim situation is charity – in the most diverse forms to the most diverse recipients.
Some have simply spent more time, money and effort on familiar causes; some have responded to new challenges, assisting [Ukrainian] refugees. Others have found a new interest in helping those whom they had not noticed before. Still others came up with auctions to help animals.
These activities give meaning to people’s everyday existence, as well as a sense of community with like-minded compatriots and a feeling of engagement with humanity.
The original text in Russian was published in Novaya Gazeta and is being republished here with small changes and the author’s permission.
In the last two or three years, your author has repeatedly heard from acquaintances who stayed in Russia after February 2022 that one of the most important things that helps them to bear the weight of the grim situation is charity – in the most diverse forms to the most diverse recipients.
Some have simply spent more time, money and effort on familiar causes; some have responded to new challenges, assisting [Ukrainian] refugees. Others have found a new interest in helping those whom they had not noticed before. Still others came up with auctions to help animals.
These activities give meaning to people’s everyday existence, as well as a sense of community with like-minded compatriots and a feeling of engagement with humanity.
The Nizhny Novgorod Region Volunteer Center provides medicine, food and equipment, among other things, for soldiers. The inscription says "help for servicemen." September 2024. Source: VK
Charity for the army
Another kind of charity took off, as well. Money has been raised for armor, vehicles, drones, radios, medicines and food packages for the front lines. Camouflage nets are weaved; letters are written to soldiers. There are numerous social media channels daily compiling requests for items needed by men fighting in Ukraine.
Judging by the messages flashing in these channels, significant amounts of money are collected and convoys loaded with goods are regularly put together. Some of these volunteer social initiatives have even attracted the attention of law enforcement – this is unsurprising, as in the overwhelming majority of cases donations are sent to private bank cards, which cannot but raise questions regarding transparency and the ultimate beneficiary of the aid.
Post-Soviet charity boom
In recent decades, however, it was the transparency of charitable organizations’ activities, reflected in rising trust in them, that drove a boom in participation in various charitable activities in Russia.
Going into 2022, more than half of those surveyed by various pollsters and organizations said they either regularly or at least once that year had provided some type of charitable assistance. This included volunteering, donating money and getting colleagues or entire teams involved.
Charity has become not just a fad but a norm in Russia.
Many residents of large and small cities now know what “recurring donations” are – a sign that people are willing to help others on a regular basis.
Another kind of charity took off, as well. Money has been raised for armor, vehicles, drones, radios, medicines and food packages for the front lines. Camouflage nets are weaved; letters are written to soldiers. There are numerous social media channels daily compiling requests for items needed by men fighting in Ukraine.
Judging by the messages flashing in these channels, significant amounts of money are collected and convoys loaded with goods are regularly put together. Some of these volunteer social initiatives have even attracted the attention of law enforcement – this is unsurprising, as in the overwhelming majority of cases donations are sent to private bank cards, which cannot but raise questions regarding transparency and the ultimate beneficiary of the aid.
Post-Soviet charity boom
In recent decades, however, it was the transparency of charitable organizations’ activities, reflected in rising trust in them, that drove a boom in participation in various charitable activities in Russia.
Going into 2022, more than half of those surveyed by various pollsters and organizations said they either regularly or at least once that year had provided some type of charitable assistance. This included volunteering, donating money and getting colleagues or entire teams involved.
Charity has become not just a fad but a norm in Russia.
Many residents of large and small cities now know what “recurring donations” are – a sign that people are willing to help others on a regular basis.
At the same time, large and small charities, and even individual recipients of aid, have published reports on the use of donations with greater regularity and greater detail.
The list of charity recipients looked roughly the same for years. At the top were children with certain diseases or disabilities, followed by, in different orders from year to year, the poor and the elderly,orphans, animals, large families and families facing hard times.
Charity amid the Ukraine conflict
According to the Agency for Social Information (ASI), 53% of Russians gave to charity, with 11% (of the whole sample) doing so frequently or regularly in 2023, 36% more than once and 6% once. Most often, their donations went to sick children (42%), the elderly (27%), animals (23%) and orphans (19%; multiple answers were possible). Another 18% said they had supported Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine.
The list of charity recipients looked roughly the same for years. At the top were children with certain diseases or disabilities, followed by, in different orders from year to year, the poor and the elderly,orphans, animals, large families and families facing hard times.
Charity amid the Ukraine conflict
According to the Agency for Social Information (ASI), 53% of Russians gave to charity, with 11% (of the whole sample) doing so frequently or regularly in 2023, 36% more than once and 6% once. Most often, their donations went to sick children (42%), the elderly (27%), animals (23%) and orphans (19%; multiple answers were possible). Another 18% said they had supported Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine.
“It was in 2023 that ‘men in uniform’ started to appear in various reports tracking Russians’ charitable giving.”
Volunteers from Astrakhan help clear oil from Russia's Black Sea coast after a spill. December 2024. Source: VK
They shot up the list of recipients, next to orphans, a traditional recipient category.
A year before, in 2022, the subcategory of “servicemen” in the ASI survey category of “adults” came in at only 3% and was not directly linked to the special military operation.
The shift in trends is obvious, and we have tried to understand its scale, as well as the popularity of charitable giving – which for many serves as a humanistic outlet – amid a worsening economic situation,rising prices and growing anxiety reported by Russians (in particular, a January poll by the Levada Center showed a surge in the number of Russians who expect an economic crisis in the coming year – RP).
Whom are Russians helping these days?
The Novaya Gazeta Laboratory of the Future, together with the Levada Center, asked Russians how often they help someone through charity and whom is it most important to help in Russia today.
Overall, Russians’ willingness to help others has remained steady compared to previous years. The same 11% of respondents are involved in charitable activities regularly and 33% from time to time – in total, 44% to one degree or another.
More than half of the respondents (51%) do not participate in anything themselves, yet they have a very positive view of charity. This is likely where the nine-percentage-point decline in charitable activities versus the ASI 2023 figure occurred: these people previously gave to charity or volunteered or did something else, and perhaps would still like to help others, but that is no longer possible for some reason.
Three percent of survey respondents said they do not participate in any charitable activities because they have a negative view of charity. This category is always present in all societies, and it stands to note that it was considerably larger in Russia previously.
Overall, the norm of helping others in society is holding up, which is an obvious positive takeaway.
Soldiers and sick kids are priorities
As for the other survey question, no one – zero percent – said that charity is not needed in Russia today. Russians see so many groups of their compatriots in need, let down by a clear lack of state support.
The breakdown of who is seen as most in need of help looks like this: 2% of respondents did not find those whom they deemed most deserving among the options we suggested; 5% said stray animals (this is a change from previous years, when this category was one of the most popular); 9% fingered large families; 15% supported charity for “vulnerable” categories before all others; and another 15% named victims of war as the priority.
A year before, in 2022, the subcategory of “servicemen” in the ASI survey category of “adults” came in at only 3% and was not directly linked to the special military operation.
The shift in trends is obvious, and we have tried to understand its scale, as well as the popularity of charitable giving – which for many serves as a humanistic outlet – amid a worsening economic situation,rising prices and growing anxiety reported by Russians (in particular, a January poll by the Levada Center showed a surge in the number of Russians who expect an economic crisis in the coming year – RP).
Whom are Russians helping these days?
The Novaya Gazeta Laboratory of the Future, together with the Levada Center, asked Russians how often they help someone through charity and whom is it most important to help in Russia today.
Overall, Russians’ willingness to help others has remained steady compared to previous years. The same 11% of respondents are involved in charitable activities regularly and 33% from time to time – in total, 44% to one degree or another.
More than half of the respondents (51%) do not participate in anything themselves, yet they have a very positive view of charity. This is likely where the nine-percentage-point decline in charitable activities versus the ASI 2023 figure occurred: these people previously gave to charity or volunteered or did something else, and perhaps would still like to help others, but that is no longer possible for some reason.
Three percent of survey respondents said they do not participate in any charitable activities because they have a negative view of charity. This category is always present in all societies, and it stands to note that it was considerably larger in Russia previously.
Overall, the norm of helping others in society is holding up, which is an obvious positive takeaway.
Soldiers and sick kids are priorities
As for the other survey question, no one – zero percent – said that charity is not needed in Russia today. Russians see so many groups of their compatriots in need, let down by a clear lack of state support.
The breakdown of who is seen as most in need of help looks like this: 2% of respondents did not find those whom they deemed most deserving among the options we suggested; 5% said stray animals (this is a change from previous years, when this category was one of the most popular); 9% fingered large families; 15% supported charity for “vulnerable” categories before all others; and another 15% named victims of war as the priority.
“The top spot for who is most in need of help was a tie between sick children (25%) and men fighting in Ukraine (25%).”
Moscow Helps centers operate in every district of Moscow. The inscription says: "collection point for gifts for soldiers fighting in the special military operation and children living in the new (occupied – RP) territories of Russia." Source: VK
These results suggest at least three things.
First, the special military operation is bigger than just federal and regional fiscal spending. Though the state is seemingly prepared to spend any amount on the military, it is clearly not enough, and a quarter of Russians seem willing to throw their own money into the same furnace.
Because of this, the pool of money that was previously spent on other humanitarian goals has shrunk, possibly by the same 25%. This means less aid for children, the elderly, the sick and others in need, of whom there are no fewer in the country today. And if we add the 15% of people who said victims of war should be the priority of charitable activities, then the pool could be as much as 40% smaller.
Second, the survey data clearly indicates that the world of charity is diverse in many respects. For example, young people are twice as likely to prioritize animals (10% versus 5% of the whole sample) – incidentally, this is visible in real life. Russians with lower incomes are more likely to help sick children than men fighting in Ukraine, while the rich are just the opposite.
The smallest numbers of those ready to give their time and money to support the war effort are observed among middle-aged people with higher education and among residents of Moscow and big cities in Russia’s south and far east. At the same time, the largest numbers of those wanting to help victims of war are in central Russia and Moscow.
To break the data down by occupation, those who are most in favor of supporting soldiers through charity are bosses of various levels, clerks, housewives and students, with managers and skilled workers being the least in favor.
Predictably, readers of Telegram channels are the most likely to believe that supporting soldiers should be the focus of charity. YouTube users are the least likely to believe so.
First, the special military operation is bigger than just federal and regional fiscal spending. Though the state is seemingly prepared to spend any amount on the military, it is clearly not enough, and a quarter of Russians seem willing to throw their own money into the same furnace.
Because of this, the pool of money that was previously spent on other humanitarian goals has shrunk, possibly by the same 25%. This means less aid for children, the elderly, the sick and others in need, of whom there are no fewer in the country today. And if we add the 15% of people who said victims of war should be the priority of charitable activities, then the pool could be as much as 40% smaller.
Second, the survey data clearly indicates that the world of charity is diverse in many respects. For example, young people are twice as likely to prioritize animals (10% versus 5% of the whole sample) – incidentally, this is visible in real life. Russians with lower incomes are more likely to help sick children than men fighting in Ukraine, while the rich are just the opposite.
The smallest numbers of those ready to give their time and money to support the war effort are observed among middle-aged people with higher education and among residents of Moscow and big cities in Russia’s south and far east. At the same time, the largest numbers of those wanting to help victims of war are in central Russia and Moscow.
To break the data down by occupation, those who are most in favor of supporting soldiers through charity are bosses of various levels, clerks, housewives and students, with managers and skilled workers being the least in favor.
Predictably, readers of Telegram channels are the most likely to believe that supporting soldiers should be the focus of charity. YouTube users are the least likely to believe so.
“Unexpectedly, of those who think that the country is headed in the wrong direction, a full 21% see soldiers fighting in Ukraine as the most important recipients of charitable activities.”
Perhaps this confirms the popularity of the idea of “finishing what you started,” which often comes upduring discussions of the special military operation in focus groups, and also represents a defensive reaction on the part of respondents.
The third conclusion: our survey data has implications beyond charity. It can be used as a point in the ongoing debate among experts, analysts and other interpreters of public opinion about the “true” level of support for the special military operation in Russia (see Russia.Post here). Perhaps the quarter who believe that the focus of charity should be men on the front lines is the actual share of Russian society that supports the Kremlin’s Ukraine policy.
Note that respondents who might have feared appearing disloyal had the option in the survey to choose “aid to victims of war,” which could be interpreted as demonstrating both loyalty to the political authorities and humanism.
Still, our survey showed that a quarter of the population is prepared to go beyond verbal support for the special military operation and personally sacrifice for the war effort.
Against this backdrop, the 3% of respondents who named cats and dogs as the most deserving category of charitable assistance – despite the jingoistic propaganda and the risk of appearing politically disloyal – look sincere and fearless. When we combine them with all the others who stubbornly consider it more important and necessary to help other groups of people before soldiers, we see the fearless in Russia are not so small in number.
The third conclusion: our survey data has implications beyond charity. It can be used as a point in the ongoing debate among experts, analysts and other interpreters of public opinion about the “true” level of support for the special military operation in Russia (see Russia.Post here). Perhaps the quarter who believe that the focus of charity should be men on the front lines is the actual share of Russian society that supports the Kremlin’s Ukraine policy.
Note that respondents who might have feared appearing disloyal had the option in the survey to choose “aid to victims of war,” which could be interpreted as demonstrating both loyalty to the political authorities and humanism.
Still, our survey showed that a quarter of the population is prepared to go beyond verbal support for the special military operation and personally sacrifice for the war effort.
Against this backdrop, the 3% of respondents who named cats and dogs as the most deserving category of charitable assistance – despite the jingoistic propaganda and the risk of appearing politically disloyal – look sincere and fearless. When we combine them with all the others who stubbornly consider it more important and necessary to help other groups of people before soldiers, we see the fearless in Russia are not so small in number.
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