You're reading: Over 60 percent Russians blame West for stirring conflict in Ukraine – poll

Moscow - Most Russian citizens (64 percent) think that the conflict in Ukraine has become "a result of West interference," Levada Center said citing the poll held on July 18-21 in 46 Russian regions among 1,600 respondents.

Twenty percent respondents see the reason behind the Ukrainian
conflict in “the nationalistic policy of the Ukrainian leadership” and
other 7 percent Russians refer to “the protest of population in eastern part of
the country against new authorities in Kyiv,” sociologists said.

At that, 82 percent respondents believe that armed resistance in
southeastern Ukraine could escalate into a long-lasting civil war, 62 percent
expect it to become Russian-Ukrainian war, and 52 percent suppose it could lead
to world war III, the survey showed.

A total of 56 percent Russian citizens think that Russia supports actively
pro-Russian forces in southeastern Ukraine and 55 percent believe Moscow should
continue to do so, sociologists said.

Meanwhile, 21 percent and 22 percent respectively share the opposite stance and 23 percent failed to respond in each case.

As to the future of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s
Republics, 41 percent respondents said they supported forming an independent
state on their basis. At the same time, 23 percent Russian citizens want
southeastern Ukraine to become part of Russia, other 17 percent suppose the
region should remain part of Ukraine but get more independence from
Kyiv, and 7 percent think things should be as they were prior to the crisis in
Ukraine, the poll showed.