Russians are experiencing declining psychological wellbeing amid rising financial instability, declining quality of life and social strain, according to new research.
A February survey by the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) Institute of Psychology found symptoms of depression among 42% of Russians, with 27% experiencing extremely elevated anxiety, according to The Moscow Times.
Meanwhile, some 31% of Russians were found to be experiencing pronounced symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Previous research by the Russian analytics company DSM showed that Russians were taking antidepressants at unprecedented rates.
In 2025, at least 22.3 million packages of drugs such as Prozac were sold, almost twice as many as in 2022 and almost three times the 7.9 million packages sold in 2020 – the first year of the pandemic.
Two thirds of respondents in the February poll said they feel anxious when thinking about their finances, amid a severe cost-of-living crisis which has seen food prices, particularly dairy and staples, rising sharply across the country.
Since 2024, the price of fruit and vegetables in Russia has increased by nearly 15%, while the price of dairy products has soared by 41%, according to the BBC.
Joint surveys by the RAS and the state-run pollster VTsIOM found that some 84% of Russians were worried about rising prices and 74% feared an economic crisis.
Almost half of respondents anticipated that their family’s financial position would get worse over the course of the next year.
More than half of Russians said they believe the worst times for their country still lie ahead, while a minority of 39% believe their children will live better lives than they did.
Last week, Moscow residents complained of having to resort to walkie talkies, pagers and paper maps for communication and navigation amid more than a week of blackouts.
Wi-Fi and mobile internet disruptions continue to plague the Russian capital as businesses suffer losses amounting to one billion rubles ($12.5mn) per day as a result of the internet shutdown.