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Crimea and Sevastopol

Four in five Russians endorse Crimea’s reunion with Russia, poll reveals

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Russia’s reunification with Crimea and Sevastopol

SIMFEROPOL, March 14. /TASS/. Around 86% of Russians are happy about Crimea’s reunification with their country in 2014, calling it the correct decision, as 77% of respondents believe that the republic and the city of Sevastopol play an integral part in providing for Russia’s defense, the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) said, releasing the survey’s results.

"This year marks the 10th anniversary of Russia’s reunification with Crimea and Sevastopol. Russians view this event as the country’s most significant achievement in the last 10-15 years. The latest VCIOM poll shows that Russians have had a positive view of this event for the entire polling period. Since 2019, 81-93% of Russians gave high evaluations of the reunification, while the last poll revealed a figure of 86%," VCIOM said on its website.

As many as 57% of Russians say they are proud of this historic event. Since 2018, at least 48% have expressed this opinion in various polls. Only 2% of respondents are unhappy with the reunification. Since 2014, the majority of Russians have stayed firm on the correctness of this decision - in 2014, a record 96% respondents were positive about it, while now this figure stands at 86%. The restoration of historical justice, the high percentage of Russian people on the peninsula, as well as the self-made decision adopted during a referendum, were cited as the main arguments.

"Despite economic challenges, Russians stay committed to their tenets, and say that the reunification brought benefits to our country (73%). Nearly the same number of people admit the key role of Crimea and Sevastopol in ensuring Russia’s defense capability. Moreover, during the last poll, the majority of respondents (85%) said that Russia proved its readiness to defend its own national interests by this reunification," the report reads.

Besides, 74% respondents believe that Crimea started to develop more after becoming a Russian region (2019 - 73%, 2023 - 76%).

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Crimea and Sevastopol

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