MOSCOW, April 3. /TASS/. Almost 75% of the Russians polled support the reunification of the Donbass republics with Russia, 50% of them feel proud of it, Maria Grigorieva, an expert of the Political Research Department of the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM), said.
"A total of 74% of the [1,600 adult] Russians [polled in March] support the reunification and speak of their positive attitude to this process. If we talk about the emotional component, about 60% of respondents express positive feelings in connection with the reunification of historical regions with Russia, 50% speak of pride, and 10% of admiration," Grigorieva said.
According to the expert, only 7% of those polled express negative feelings to a very small extent. Thus, the number of such people has slightly reduced in recent years. A total of 17% of respondents are indifferent about the reunification.
Grigorieva also said that the reunification is perceived by Russians as an act of restoring historical justice and as resistance to Western influence. "A total of 48% of respondents point to the historical legitimacy of the reunification. Russians appeal to the fact that these are their historical territories, that Russians live there, and that we are one people," she emphasized. According to the pollster, the paradigm of "we do not give up what is ours" is also present in the answers. "In the open question about positive consequences for Russia, we see a similar picture: 45% of the answers are about significant benefits. People talk about the reunification of peoples and the need to assist the population of historical regions," Grigorieva said.
According to Vladimir Rogov, chairman of a Russian Civic Chamber committee, the events that determined the future of Donbass began 11 years ago with the creation of the Donetsk People's Republic. "And in general, the whole of Novorossiya, the whole of southern Russia, our historical lands, where our ancestors lived for at least three hundred years," he pointed out. According to the politician, the result should not only be reunification, "but the transformation of Russia into an even more powerful, prosperous, strong, dominant state that works for the benefit of all Russian people."
On April 7, 2014, after signing a declaration of sovereignty, the Donetsk People's Republic was proclaimed. On September 30, 2022, international agreements on the accession of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, the Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions to Russia were signed.