Most Russians are following the events in Ukraine and support President Viktor Yanukovych in spite of his low rating, according to the Russian Public Opinion Study Center . Russian citizens have been regularly polled about Ukraine in the past three months, Russian Public Opinion Study Center head Valery Fyodorov told a press conference at the Interfax central office.
“EuroMaidan was not very interesting to Russians by itself when it
started in November because Ukraine already had an image of a perturbed
place. The interest of Russians in that conflict grew in December when
the conflict started to escalate, catapults and burning tires appeared
in the center of a large European city, buildings were seized and
casualties were suffered,” Fyodorov said.
Over a half of Russians are following the Ukrainian events at present, he said.
“This is the great difference from Syria where, as we know, a civil
war has been on for two years. This country also seems to be important
for us but the interest in it is not as large,” Fyodorov said.
Russians see the Ukrainian situation only through the prism of
“disturbances, a revolt and conspiracies,” he said. “That is, in the
opinion of Russians, this is not a feast of democracy; in the opinion of
people, this is not a popular uprising against the rotten and corrupt
regime,” Fyodorov said.
The attitude to Yanukovych “is not particularly good” but he enjoys
bigger support from Russians than the other side to this conflict, he
noted.
“Yanukovych had a very good rating in Russia once, especially in
2009-2010, when he was considered to be an alternative to
Yushchenko-Tymoshenko. However, his image has faded much over the three
years when Yanukovych was really in charge of Ukraine. He is no longer
viewed as a pro-Russian politician. He is regarded as a politician with
his own interests, not quite capable of reaching agreements and not
quite liking Russia,” Fyodorov said.
However, “compared with those who set fire to tires, seized police
stations and used firearms, certainly, Yanukovych enjoys much greater
support,” he indicated.
