9 in 10 Russians have been closely following the recent gas row between Russia and Ukraine. That’s according to All-Russia Public Opinion Research Centre (VCIOM), which revealed the results of its survey on Wednesday.
About two thirds of Russians (63%) believe Ukraine is solely responsible for the conflict, while 17% think both sides are to be blame. Only 5% say Russia caused the dispute, the poll shows.
Among the main reasons given for the conflict are: Ukraine stealing gas (15%); Ukraine’s growing debts to Gazprom (13%); Kiev’s desire to lower the gas price (7%); Ukraine’s foreign policy (7%); and Kiev’s irresponsible behaviour as an international actor (7%).
A quarter of respondents (27%) believe both Russia and Ukraine are losers. Meanwhile, 16% claim Russia is the winner, while 13% suspect Ukraine came out of the battle unscathed.