MOSCOW, December 26. /TASS/. The opinion that Russians have about their country's armed forces has significantly improved in the past five years, All-Russia Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) Director General Valery Fyodorov has told the Vesti FM radio.
According to the official, about 5-7 years ago, Russian citizens did not quite rely on the country’s armed forces, but they also felt no immediate external military threat. "Everything changed drastically in the past five years," the VCIOM head said.
"On the one hand, the military threat to the country has sharply increased. Now everyone understands that we are living in an unsafe world <…> and, therefore, the need for the armed forces is growing," he said. "On the other, changes have certainly taken place in the Russian armed forces. And the general opinion of them is undoubtedly positive."
According to the official, 58% of respondents believe that the armed forces have changed for the better in the past two or three years and only six percent - for the worse.
However, about a half of respondents aged 16-17 who are about to be drafted, oppose the idea of doing military service, he said.