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Crimea and Sevastopol

Most of Ukrainians no longer believe in Crimea’s returning to Ukraine

A recent opinion poll results show that only 25% of respondents answered positively to the question whether Crimea could ever be reintegrated into Ukraine

© TASS/EPA/ROMAN PILIPEY

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KIEV, March 20. /TASS/. More than half of Ukrainians no longer believe that Crimea will ever be back in Ukraine, Yevgeny Kopatko, a sociologist and founder of Research and Branding Group, said on Friday, citing a recent opinion poll results.

Only 25% of respondents answered positively to the question whether Crimea could ever be reintegrated into Ukraine. As many as 56% of the polled answered "no" and the rest did not answer this question.

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"The percentage of optimists is higher in Ukraine’s western regions (30%) than in its east (18%). As many as 51% of those polled in western regions and 69% in eastern regions said Crimea would never be back in Ukraine," Kopatko said.

"Ukraine society is now at a stage when hatred is subsiding leaving profound bitterness, a deep wound from this [Crimea’s separation]," said Ruslan Bortnik, director of the Ukrainian Policy Analysis and Management Institute. He admitted there were practically no "grounds to speak seriously about Crimea’s returning" to Ukraine.

The opinion poll was conducted in a period from March 6 to 16 and involved 1,500 respondents in all of Ukraine’s regions, except the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

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Crimea and Sevastopol Ukraine Public opinion

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