War in Ukraine calls into question the previous worldview of Russian-speaking citizens - Kaktins

RIGA - Russian-speaking residents of Latvia are not supporting any side of the war, because the war contradicts their previous worldview, Arnis Kaktins, the director of the SKDS sociological research agency, explains to LETA.

Kaktins believes that there is probably no single explanation why so many Russian-speaking people (46 percent) avoid supporting one or the other side of the war, as evidenced by a poll made public by Latvian Television.

Kaktins explains that before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, most Russian-speaking citizens welcomed Russia, and many were positive about its president, Vladimir Putin. They saw Russia as a friendly, universal country. They had no suspicion of aggression against Ukraine.

When the war broke out in Ukraine, it was an unpleasant surprise for a relatively large number of Russian-speakers, as this became at odds with the previous worldviews of the Russian-speaking population, Kaktins said.

It must be understood that worldviews do not change in one day. The time factor plays an important role in changing thoughts, and it takes quite a long time to fundamentally change a person's worldview, the expert emphasizes.

Kaktins explains that the events of the war are still relatively new and many Russian-speaking respondents are surprised by the current situation, but still respondents are unable to change their worldview in such a short time.