MOSCOW, March 25. /TASS/. The majority of Russians (84%) agrees with the decision of President Vladimir Putin on pulling out the bulk of the Russian air group from Syria, according to the results of a survey conducted by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM).
"The president’s decision on the withdrawal of the main part of the Russian military contingent from Syria is viewed positively, with 84% of our fellow countrymen approving it (92% among those closely following developments in Syria). A mere 7% disagreed with it," sociologists said. In general, the attention to the Syrian conflict in our society is not waning. Three quarters of Russians say they are following developments in Syria, 24% of them regularly.
Meanwhile, 8% of those polled called the decision on pulling out the troops premature, 13% - overdue, and 64% said the withdrawal date had been chosen correctly, the rest were undecided. "Such a high approval percentage seems to stem from the confidence that the Russian military was able to achieve the goals that were set, that’s the opinion of 78% of the respondents," VTsIOM said.
- Russian warplanes deliver airstrikes at 146 facilities near Palmyra — defense ministry
- Russian army special forces participate in operations in Syria — commander
- Kremlin gives no comment on rumors of 6th Russian serviceman’s death in Syria
- Russian military to stay in Syria to protect Hmeimim, Tartus bases — Kremlin
According to 61% of those polled, the accomplishment of the tasks was the reason for the withdrawal of the main part of the Russian air group from Syria. On the other hand, half of Russians believe that Russia should rejoin the military operation if the situation deteriorates or if the peace talks fail. However, 28% said Russia should no longer be involved in it.
The VTsIOM survey was held on March 19-20, 2016, with 1,600 persons polled in 46 regions of Russia. The margin of error did not exceed 3.5%.