More Ukrainians like Russia than Russians like Ukraine – poll

KYIV. April 1 (Interfax) – Most Ukrainians and Russians are amicable toward each other but the number of such people is bigger in Ukraine, the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology reported on Monday. It held the poll together with Russia’s Levada Center in January-February 2013.

The percentage of Ukrainians feeling friendly towards Russia grew inconsiderably, from 83% to 85%, since September 2012. The share of unfriendly people declined a bit, from 11% to 8%. Seven percent could not say how they felt about Russia.

Traditionally, the majority of amicable Ukrainians live in the eastern (94%) and southern regions (92%). The number is the smallest in the western region (68%). The rate is 86% in the central region.

Compared with September 2012, the number of Ukrainians who like Russia has grown in the western region (from 63% to 68%) and the eastern region (from 90% to 94%).

The attitude of Russia to Ukraine practically has not changed over the same period: 74% like Ukraine, 18% feel negative, and 10% cannot answer the question.

The respondents in both countries were asked what Ukraine-Russia relations should be. Most of them said they wanted the countries to be independent but friendly, with open borders, without visas and customs (the indicator stood at 68% in Ukraine and 64% in Russia).

The percentage declined by 4% in Ukraine since September and grew by 4% in Russia in the same time.

The number of advocates of more isolated relations was almost unchanged. Thirteen percent of Russians and Ukrainians want closed borders, visas and customs.

Some 18% of Russians and 16% of Ukrainians want to live in a united country. There has been no change in this attitude since September 2012. But the number of Russians favoring unification with Ukraine became a bit larger than the number of Ukrainians with the same wish from February 2012 to February 2013, while the trend was the opposite in the previous years.