Forty-one percent of surveyed Russians believe Moscow should support separatists in Ukraine’s Donbass region, according to a new poll published by the independent Levada Center.
Moscow has been accused of supporting pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine since then-president Viktor Yanukovych was toppled in February 2014. The ensuing conflict between Kiev and separatists in eastern Ukraine has claimed the lives of more than ten thousand people, according to UN estimates.
Thirty-seven percent of those surveyed by Levada said Moscow should be a neutral party in the conflict. Only 6 percent said Moscow should support the Kiev government in the conflict with the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics.
Levada Center sociologist Stepan Goncharov told the RBC outlet that the forty-one percent support for the self-proclaimed eastern Ukrainian republics of Donetsk and Luhansk is relatively high despite the overall cooling of interest among Russians on the subject of Ukraine.
The joint poll by the Levada Center and Kiev International Institute of Sociology research firm also showed continuing tension between Russians and Ukrainians.
Between May and September of this year, the percentage of Russians surveyed with positive views of Ukraine jumped six percentage points to thirty-two percent. Ukrainians with a positive view of Russia, on the other hand, dropped six percentage points to thirty-seven percent.
Around two-thirds of those surveyed described Russia’s annexation of the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea as more beneficial than harmful.
Levada's survey was carried out among 1,600 Russians on Sept. 15-19 in 137 towns and cities across 48 Russian regions. The margin of error did not exceed 3.4 percent.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
