Survey: Most Romanians see low risk of Russian attack, doubt army’s readiness

Nearly half of Romanians believe their country’s army would not be able to resist for 48 hours in the event of an attack, according to a new Avangarde poll quoted by News.ro. The survey also showed that most respondents see little risk of Russian aggression.

According to the poll, 49% of respondents said the Romanian Army lacks the capacity to withstand a 48-hour assault, as outlined in NATO defense guidelines, while 35% said it could, and 16% did not know or declined to answer.

At the same time, 58% of respondents said the danger of Russia intentionally attacking Romania is “small” or “very small,” while only 4% viewed the threat as “very high” and 29% as “high.”

The survey also found that 58% of Romanians support NATO’s call for increased defense spending among member states, including Romania, while 30% oppose the idea. When asked about reinstating mandatory military service, 48% said it would not be a good idea, compared to 43% who said it would.

Regarding drone incursions into Romanian airspace, 44% of respondents said such drones should “definitely” be shot down, 41% said it should depend on the situation, while 8% opposed taking such action.

Meanwhile, public confidence in the government’s handling of national defense remains low, with 58% saying the government is managing defense policy poorly, and only 22% expressing approval.

On the question of whether Romania should send troops to defend Moldova if attacked by Russia, 55% opposed the idea, 28% supported it, and 17% were undecided.

The Avangarde survey, titled “Perceptions of the Capabilities of the Romanian Army,” was conducted by telephone between October 6 and 10 among 920 respondents. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4% at a 95% confidence level.

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