Almost 80% Of Ukrainians Have Positive Attitude Toward Russians - Poll

Fakhir Rizvi Published March 12, 2019 | 09:24 PM

Almost 80 percent of Ukrainians have a positive stance toward the Russian people, according to a survey by the Kiev International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) released on Tuesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 12th March, 2019) Almost 80 percent of Ukrainians have a positive stance toward the Russian people, according to a survey by the Kiev International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) released on Tuesday.

"In Ukraine, in February 2019, 57 percent of Ukrainians had a positive or very positive attitude toward Russia, 27 percent had negative or very negative attitude ... 77 percent of Ukrainians were positive toward Russians (Russian citizens)," the statement from KIIS said.

The results of the survey contain data from KIIS and the independent Moscow-based Levada Center. The KIIS poll was conducted on February 8-20 in all regions of Ukraine with the exception of the Donbas region, which is not controlled by Kiev, among over 2,000 adult respondents. The Levada survey was taken on February 15-20 in 137 Russian towns and cities among 1,600 people aged 18 and older.

The Levada survey investigated Russians' stance on one of their closest neighbors.

"In February 2019, 34 percent of the Russian population had a positive or very positive attitude toward Ukraine, and 55 percent had negative or very negative attitude," the statement said.

Levada's poll also concluded that Ukrainians thought better of their Slavic neighbors than vice versa, noting that the figures stood at 57 percent against 34 percent.

Relations between Russians and Ukrainians have remained strained since the start of the deadly conflict in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine in 2014. Back then Kiev launched an operation against the self-proclaimed Luhansk and Donetsk people's republics after they refused to recognize the new government in Ukraine. The conflict resulted in open fire confrontations with a heavy loss of life. Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly claimed that Russian troops are among those who fight on Donbas' side and stir up tensions. Moscow, in its turn, has vehemently denied Kiev's accusations, calling instead for a peaceful resolution of the crisis.