More than Half of Russians have Heard of Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact’s Secret Protocols, But Far Fewer among Younger Age Groups, Levada Center Polls Show

Paul Goble

            Staunton, Aug. 12 – More than half of all Russians have heard about the secret protocols of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact which divided eastern Europe between Hitler and Stalin and opened the way to World War II. Forty-six percent say they existed, while only seven percent now say that they did not, according to the Levada Center polling agency.

            What is most striking is that younger people aged 18 to 24 were far more likely to say that they had not heard anything about such protocols, a reflection of historical ignorance among that age group and a lack of knowledge that Putin has promoted and exploited. (levada.ru/2025/08/12/retrospektivnoe-otnoshenie-k-paktu-molotova-ribbentropa/).

            Two-thirds of all Russians approve Stalin’s decision to sign the pact with its secret protocols, while only eight percent condemn it. And those who approve accept the Putin regime’s argument that Hitler was entirely to blame for the war and that Moscow’s actions had nothing to do with its start.  But young Russians were more likely to condemn it than their elders.