Most Russians have negative feelings toward the U.S., a new poll shows, reflecting the increasingly strained relationship between Moscow and Washington over the crisis in Ukraine.
According to a survey published Thursday by state-run pollster Public Opinion Foundation (VTsIOM), a large majority of respondents, 66 percent, said they viewed the U.S. mostly negatively or very negatively.
In contrast, only 22 percent of respondents said they viewed the U.S. mostly positively or very positively — less than half the number in February 2013, when this figure stood at 55 percent.
The results of the poll seem to indicate Russians' feelings toward the country's former Cold War foe have rapidly deteriorated.
A separate poll conducted by independent Levada Center in May showed the levels of negativity toward the U.S. had tripled since March, the month Russia annexed the Black Sea region of Crimea, reaching 31 percent.
The shift in public opinion follows months of barb-trading between Moscow and Washington over Russia's annexation of Crimea and perceived support of pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine.
The VTsIOM poll was carried out between Nov. 22-23 among 1,600 people in 136 towns across 46 Russian regions. The margin of error did not exceed 3.5 percent.
