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1 in 3 Russians Wants Tougher Measures Against Turkey - Poll

Maxim Stulov / Vedomosti

Almost one third of Russians has spoken out in favor of toughening sanctions against Turkey over the downing of a Russian warplane, the RIA Novosti news agency reported Thursday, citing the results of a recent poll.

More than half of the respondents (54 percent) consider the existing measures adequate, while 31 percent said the existing sanctions against Turkey were not enough, the survey conducted by the the state-run pollster VTsIOM revealed, according to RIA Novosti.

In general, the majority of Russians support the introduction of restrictive measures against Turkey, the survey showed.

84 percent of the poll's respondents spoke out in favor of the suspension of visa-free travel for Turkish citizens and 82 percent favored a ban on Turkish imports.

The poll was conducted on Dec. 4-5 among 1,600 participants in 46 Russian regions, and had a margin of error not exceeding 3.5 percent.

Russia introduced a package of sanctions against Turkey last month after Turkish fighter jets shot down a Russian fighter-bomber near the Syrian border on Nov. 24.

The measures include the ban on charter flights to Turkey from Dec.1 and the suspension of visa-free travel regime with Turkey from Jan.1, 2016.

In addition, Russia prohibited the imports of many Turkish food products including fruits, vegetables, poultry and salt and imposed a ban on hiring Turkish nationals.

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