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Developments in eastern Ukraine

Majority of Russians in favor of humanitarian aid for Ukraine’s south-east — poll

Seventy percent of respondents believed that Russia’s aid to self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics was provided in the interests of the majority of Russians

© Mikhail Sokolov/TASS

MOSCOW, February 4. /TASS/. Seventy-five percent of the polled Russians spoke in favor of carrying on with the country’s humanitarian assistance for the embattled Ukrainian south-east, according to a survey of a state-run pollster published on Wednesday.

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Russia's Emergencies Ministry to form extra humanitarian convoy to Donbas in week

Data collected by the Russian Public Opinion Center (WCIOM), showed that 70% of respondents believed that Russia’s aid to self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics (DPR and LNR) was provided in the interests of the majority of Russians.

However, 11% believed that the humanitarian aid for Ukraine’s sout-heast was in the interests of the minority of Russians, while five percent said the assistance was of the benefit to a small group of people.

Since mid-August 2014, 12 Russian humanitarian aid convoys have delivered more than 16,300 tons of relief supplies, mainly foodstuffs, medicines, building materials and primary necessity items to people in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

The most recent 12th convoy, consisting of over 80 trucks from the Russian Emergencies Ministry, delivered some 1,500 tons of humanitarian aid over the past weekend.

Asked whether Russia needed to provide military support to the war-torn Ukrainian regions and send Russian troops there, 67% of the respondents spoke against it and 20% voiced their support.

The respondents were divided almost equally in their opinions concerning Russia’s possible stance regarding the status of the DPR and LPR, with 29% of the polled saying that Moscow should recognize the independence of the self-proclaimed Ukrainian republics and 28% believing that Russia should maintain neutrality.

The poll was conducted on January 24-25 among 1,600 respondents across Russia. The margin of error does not exceed 3.5%.

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Eastern Ukraine WCIOM Humanitarian aid Public opinion

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