A survey conducted by the Levada Center, an independent polling organization in Russia, asked respondents to evaluate their attitudes toward 12 countries.
The Levada Center has tracked public opinion in Russia for several decades and has been designated a “foreign agent” under Russian law since 2016.
In this survey, 62% of respondents described both Poland and Lithuania as “enemies”, standing out significantly as such among the other countries evaluated – which did not include Ukraine.
Other countries which Russians feel are antagonistic towards them include the United Kingdom (57% believe it is the case), Germany (50%), Sweden (40%), the United States (27%), Israel (25%), Turkey (3%), Iran (2%), North Korea (2%), China (1%), and India (1%).
Since 2022, Poland, Germany, and the United States have frequently been cited as unfriendly or hostile. In 2025, however, the share identifying the United States in this category declined. The Levada Center attributed this shift to what it described as a “Trump effect,” referring to a perceived change in attitudes toward the U.S. during that period.
When asked which countries they considered “friends,” 2% of respondents selected Poland, the same figure as for the United Kingdom and Sweden. One percent consider Lithuania, Germany, or the United States “friends”. In exchange, a bigger group selected China (29%), North Korea (28%), India (24%), and Iran (18%).
A separate question examined perceptions of Russia’s relations with Poland. Prior to 2010, between 50% and 80% of respondents typically characterized relations as “good,” while 20% to 40% described them as “bad.” When the question was reintroduced in 2024, 74% rated relations negatively and 16% positively.
In 2025, respondents were also asked which countries they believed posed a real threat to Russia’s stability and global influence. Poland was the third most frequently mentioned country at 36%, after the United States (73%) and the United Kingdom (42%), and ahead of Germany (30%).
These findings were published in a report titled Russia and the World: Enemies, Competitors, Partners, prepared by the Levada Center on behalf of the German Sakharov Society and presented in Berlin.
A 2022 study by the Pew Research Center reported that Polish respondents expressed predominantly unfavorable views of Russia, with 97% describing their opinion as unfavorable and 2% as favorable.
Diplomatic tensions between Poland and Russia are in full bloom. Both governments have taken measures affecting each other’s diplomatic missions, including the closure of consulates. Russia has advised its citizens against travel to Poland, citing safety concerns, while Poland has imposed entry restrictions on most Russian citizens.
