Russians protest in front of the State Duma against pension reform in Moscow in August.
In a survey whose results were published on December 19, two-thirds -- or 66 percent -- of respondents answered "yes" when asked whether they regret the 1991 Soviet collapse.
That is up from 58 percent a year earlier and is the highest proportion since 2004, the last year of President Vladimir Putin's first term, Levada said.
One-quarter of respondents said they do not regret the Soviet breakup, the lowest proportion since 2005, and 9 percent said they could not answer.
Putin, president from 2000-08 and 2012 to the present, has often played up the achievements of the Soviet Union while playing down some of its darkest chapters.
Comment: Leave it to Radio Free Europe to put such a spin on Putin. The Russian president has lauded the achievements of the Soviet Union when it comes to the Great Patriotic War against Nazi Germany. A very costly and crucial achievement for the Russian people. But Putin has also been quite vocal in pointing out the Soviet Union's horrible failings as well.
Comment: No mention or poll questions relating to how the West has egregiously contributed to Russia's economic challenges, however.