Russian-speaking Ukrainians overwhelmingly oppose Moscow despite Kremlin protection claims, poll shows
Kremlin lies crash into reality, new Ukrainian poll reveals. According to the survey, 82% of Russian-speaking Ukrainians hold a negative view of Russia.
The poll was conducted following yet another statement by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who again invoked the alleged “protection of Russian-speaking people in Ukraine” as a justification for Russian aggression. This narrative claims that this group is oppressed in Ukraine, supposedly providing grounds for invasion.
In contrast, only 13% of Ukrainians confirm a positive attitude toward Russia. For comparison, 79% view France positively, 75% the UK, and 71.5% Poland.
As for religious affiliation, 11% identify themselves as followers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, while nearly twice as many, 20%, say they belong to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
When asked which societal model they found more appealing, 42% chose the European model, while only 6% favored the Russian one.
Among Russian-speaking Ukrainians surveyed, 81.5% trust the Ukrainian Armed Forces, while 14% expressed distrust. Some 4% say they are either serving in the Armed Forces or are involved in volunteer defense efforts, and 24.5% of respondents support the defense of the country financially.
When asked, “If it were up to you, what would you be willing to concede in negotiations with Russia?” only 17% of Russian-speaking citizens said they would agree to ceding Ukrainian territories.
The survey also reveals that 26% of respondents are willing to concede Ukraine’s pro-Western course of development, and 54% believe Ukraine should not agree to reduce its Armed Forces, even if that’s a condition for a peace deal with Russia, with only 27% ready to agree to that.
Some 55% of respondents in this group believe Ukraine will win the war against Russia, while 33% do not. Only 40% think a peace agreement between Kyiv and Moscow is possible in the near future, whereas 48% do not consider it so.