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One Ukrainian in two does not support Euro-Maidan, suggests opinion poll

The poll was taken in 24 regions of the country and embraced 2,079 people

© ITAR-TASS/Maxim Nikitin

KIEV, December 30, 21:30 /ITAR-TASS/. Virtually a half of Ukrainian citizens do not support the Euro-Maidan oppositionist action of protest in Kiev and almost the same number of people feel positive about the granting of a loan by Russia and a reduction of the price for the natural gas imported from Gazprom, suggests an opinion poll taken by the Research and Branding Group polling service.

It was taken in the last days of December in 24 regions of the country, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, as well as in the capital Kiev and in Sevastopol and embraced 2,079 people. When asked whether or not they supported Euro-Maidan, 50% of those polled answered ‘On the whole, no’. Another 45% expressed an opposite viewpoint and 6% respondents were undecided or had no answer.

A total of 43% participants in the poll believe that the aftermath of the Maidan will be rather deplorable. In contrast, 31% expressed the hope for an encouraging effect, while 17% think the dragged-out oppositionist action on Kiev’s Independence Square /the Maidan/ will not produce any results at all. At the same time, 10% respondents did not express any definitive opinion in this respect.

A request to assess the agreements reached December 17 in Moscow at the talks between Presidents Viktor Yanukovich and Vladimir Putin regarding a reduction of gas prices and a Russian loan to Ukraine showed that 47% respondents viewed them as ‘positive’. Another 19% regarded them neutrally, 31% dismissed them as negative and 7% found it difficult to express one or another viewpoint.

When the pollsters asked the respondents about the vector of integration they would rather choose, 43% spoke in favor of the EU, 30% supported the Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia, 20 favored the preservation of Ukraine’s current status and 7% had no answer.

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