Interfax: Russians support humanitarian aid to Donbas, relative majority sees no change there – poll

MOSCOW. Feb 9 (Interfax) – Russians say that the Donbas situation has been unaltered, and support humanitarian aid to people in that region, yet, there is no unanimity regarding further policy towards the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics, the Russian Public Opinion Study Center said.

According to the poll, a relative majority of Russians (45%) ‘do not see any change’ in Donbas. Some 22% argue that the situation in the region ‘has been normalizing’, and 14% claim ‘escalating tensions’. Nineteen percent were ‘undecided’.

As for whether Russia should continue to send humanitarian convoys to Donbas, most respondents (78%) spoke ‘in favor’ of that policy, only 15% suggested that ‘the support to Donbas residents stop’, and 7% ‘could not answer’ the question.

The respondents differed on the position Russia should take towards the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics. Twenty-three percent said that Russia ‘should help’ the DPR and the LPR receive an autonomous status within Ukraine.

Twenty-two percent argued that Russia ‘must achieve independence for Donbas’, and 21% suggested that ‘the DPR and the LPR be incorporated into Russia’. Seventeen percent said that ‘Russia should not interfere in the conflict’, and another 17% were ‘undecided’.

The sociologists polled 1,600 people in 130 populated localities in 46 regions on January 23-24.