Most Say Ukraine Resistance Stronger Than Expected

Most Russians support the "special military operation" in Ukraine and have a 
favourable view of Vladimir Putin, but those aged 18-24 oppose the invasion and 
are more sceptical towards the Kremlin line, according to a new survey from 
Lord Ashcroft Polls.

The poll of 1,007 Russians, conducted by telephone from a neighbouring state 
between 11 and 13 March, also finds that Russians most blame the US and NATO 
for the conflict, and believe Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk should be part of 
Russia. However, most say they are feeling the effect of sanctions, and nearly 
half say Russia's reputation has been damaged in recent years. The findings 
include:

- 76% said they supported the special military operation, with 57% doing so 
strongly. However, most (53%) said Ukraine seems to be resisting more strongly 
than they would have expected. 
- 91% said Crimea should be part of Russia; 68% said the same of both Donetsk 
and Luhansk. 
- 79% said NATO expansion was a threat to Russian security and sovereignty, and 
81% said the invasion was necessary to protect Russia. 67% said it was 
necessary  to "demilitarise and de-Nazify" Ukraine. 
- More than half (55%) said sanctions had "started to affect me or people I 
know". Nearly one third said they thought life for ordinary Russians had got 
worse over the last 20 years, and 45% said they thought Russia's international 
reputation had been damaged in recent years. 
- 85% had a positive view of Vladimir Putin, and 88% of the Russian military. 
85% also said they trust Russia's current leadership to make the right 
decisions for the country, and 78% said they thought Putin had ordinary 
Russians' interests at heart. 
- 82% had a favourable view of China, compared to 12% for the US and 8% for 
NATO. 80% said the US had some or a great deal of responsibility for the war, 
and NATO 77%; 38% said the same of Russia. 
- Those aged 18-24 were the only group more likely to say they opposed the 
invasion (46%) than supported it (40%). They were much more likely than 
Russians in general to reject the argument that the invasion was needed to 
protect Russia or to demilitarise and de-Nazify Ukraine. A quarter said they 
had an unfavourable view of Putin (compared to 11% overall) and they were the 
only group more likely than not to see President Zalensky as Ukraine's 
legitimate leader. More than half (54%) said they favoured withdrawing Russian 
forces from the country.

In his commentary on the poll results, Lord Ashcroft writes:
"A poll from Russia comes with two obvious caveats. First, the Putin regime 
effectively controls what Russians see and hear about the 'special military 
operation' in Ukraine. Second, with protests crushed and prison terms for 
spreading of 'fake news' about the war, many might be cautious in talking about 
their views to a stranger. We also know, however, that a crisis can often 
prompt a surge of national loyalty. However, the survey suggests that Putin has 
managed to shape Russian opinion strongly in his favour – at least for the 
time being."

The full poll results are available at LordAshcroftPolls.com.

LORD ASHCROFT KCMG PC is an international businessman, philanthropist, author 
and pollster. He is a former treasurer and deputy chairman of the UK 
Conservative Party, and honorary chairman and a former treasurer of the 
International Democratic Union. Lord Ashcroft has been polling since 2005, both 
in the UK and internationally, winning a reputation for objective and impartial 
research and analysis.

LordAshcroftPolls.com  //  LordAshcroft.com  //  Twitter/Facebook: @LordAshcroft

SOURCE: Lord Ashcroft Polls