What Frightens russians More Than Mobilization

At the start of 2026, russians’ greatest fear was not drones or mobilization, but the shutdown of messaging apps and the blocking of VPNs. This conclusion is contained in the “anxiety index” published by russian sociologists.

Internet restrictions and communication outages in major cities took first place in the fear ranking. Drone attacks and the so-called Epstein files were second and third respectfully. In the former case, people are concerned about infrastructure security and chronic flight delays. The Epstein case, though seemingly far away from everyday life in russia, made part of society wonder how many similar secret communities of perverts exist within the rf itself.

The top ten also included the mass slaughter of livestock in novosibirsk region, the closure of small businesses due to tax hikes, and reports of flooding in the north caucasus and the volga region.

Rounding out the top 10 spring concerns are rumors of a new mobilization and tick activity. Moreover, discussions about ticks turned out to be more relevant to russians than military conflicts in the Middle East.

The fact that the top spot in the ranking belongs not to the front lines or the economic crisis, but to internet blocking, eloquently characterizes a society that has learned to look past the war it itself unleashed.