MOSCOW, May 20 (RIA Novosti) – Nearly 80 percent of Russians believe that Kiev’s special operation in southeastern Ukraine is an attempt to suppress legal protests and make federalists stop fighting for their rights, a poll by the All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion (VTsIOM) revealed Tuesday.
Only 13 percent of respondents said the operation against federalists aims at restoring order in the country. A total of 70 percent of Russians are sure that self-defense units in southeastern Ukraine consist of local citizens. Only 14 percent of those polled believe these units are supported by Russian security services.
Thirty-nine percent of respondents said people who seized administrative buildings in southeastern Ukraine are local activists, self-defense forces and servicemen who had switched allegiances, according to the survey.
Some 19 percent of Russians said the demonstrators are defending their rights and are fighting to preserve order in the country. Another 17 percent of respondents said the activists are seeking autonomy. Ten percent said their goal is money and power.
Kiev’s interim government launched a special operation last month to crack down on pro-federalization supporters. The military operation has already led to dozens of casualties. Full-scale fighting is currently underway in Donetsk Region, which proclaimed itself an independent people’s republic together with Luhansk Region after a referendum held on May 11.
The opinion poll was conducted by VTsIOM on April 26-27 across Russia. Some 1,600 people in 130 cities, towns and villages participated in the survey. The margin of error was 3.4 percent.
