About 70% of the Ukrainian citizens who live in the southeast of the country don't support the idea of the areas's annexation by Russia, according to the poll conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) under the order of ZN.UA through April 10-15. The results of the poll were published in Ukrainian weekly "Dzerkalo Tyzhnia." According to the survey, a total of 69.7% of the respondents are against such changes, 15.4% – want to join Russia and 12.5% are undecided. The majority of those who are against annexation to Russia are located in Mykolaiv (85.4%), Kherson (84.6%) and Dnipropetrovsk regions (84.1%). The percentage of the respondents against joining Russia in Kharkiv region is 65.6%, in Donetsk region – 52.2% and in Luhansk region – 51.9%.
The majority of the respondents for the annexation of their regions by Russia are located in Luhansk (30.3%), Donetsk (27.5%) and Kharkiv regions (16.1%). The smallest percentage of such respondents is in Kherson region (3.5%).
In addition, 25% of citizens in southeastern Ukraine are ready to go out in the streets to support rallies for annexation of their region by Russia, while 60.4% of the respondents in Donetsk and 60.8% in Luhansk regions remained indifferent. However, a total of 89.9% of the respondents in Dnipropetrovsk region won’t join such a rally under any circumstances. In Zaporizhia region this percentage amounts to 83.3%, in Mykolaiv region – 89.1%, in Odesa region – 75.8%, in Kharkiv region – 75.7% and in Kherson region – 91.1%.
Russia attracts citizens of southeastern Ukraine with the stability of its economy, stability in government, high salaries and pensions. The majority of people, who agree with that, are located in Donetsk – correspondingly 41.8%, 37.9% and 39.6% and Luhansk regions – 34.7%, 24.8% and 30.3%.
When answering the question about the relation between Ukraine and Russia a total of 74.5% of the respondents said that they wanted to see Ukraine and Russia independent but friendly towards one another, with open borders and without visas. Fewer people gave an affirmative answer to this question in Mykolaiv (62%) and Odesa regions (68.4%).
The respondents were also asked about the Crimean situation. The opinions of citizens in southeastern Ukraine on what happened to the peninsula were divided in half: 44.3% think that Crimea joining Russia is “the result of an illegal annexation” (the majority of those, who believe so, are from Mykolaiv (68.2%), Dnipropetrovsk (61.1%), Kherson (56.7%) and Zaporizhia (53.6%) regions). Much fewer people agree with that in Donetsk (25.7%) and Luhansk (26.8%) regions.
However, 43% of people in southeastern Ukraine believe that “Crimea’s annexation by Russia was the result of the free expression of the will of Crimean citizens.” A total of 62.9% of citizens in Donetsk region strongly believe so, as well as 58.1% in Luhansk and 44.1% in Kharkiv regions. This opinion is shared by 38.3% of respondents in Odesa and 36.9% in Kherson regions, as well as by every third citizen of Zaporizhia region (31.1%) and every fourth citizen of Dnipropetrovsk region (25.5%). Thus, the opinion “the illegal annexation by Russia” prevails in five regions and the opinion “the free exercise of their will by Crimean citizens” – in three regions. A total of 11.5% of the respondents said they were undecided.
The poll was conducted by the KIIS through April 10-15 under the order of ZN.UA. A total of 3,232 respondents over 18 years old in 160 cities and towns of eight southeastern regions of Ukraine (Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhia and Donetsk regions) were surveyed. Phone and 1,756 interviewed a total of 1,476 – personally. At least 400 interviews were conducted in every region. The survey’s margin of error does not exceed 0.95%.
