‘Ukraine, West wage information war against us’ – Russians

The overwhelming majority of Russians think that Ukraine and Western nations are conducting a coordinated and hostile propaganda campaign against their country, a recent poll shows.

In the research conducted by pollsters the Levada Center in late October, 83 percent of respondents agreed that Ukraine was conducting an information war against Russia. Fifty-five percent said they were absolutely sure that this was true, and 29 percent said that this was the most likely explanation for the current situation. Only 8 percent of Russians disagreed with another 9 percent not offering an opinion.

A question concerning an anti-Russian information campaign by Western nations yielded approximately the same results – 54 percent of those interviewed were absolutely sure that it is taking place, and 29 percent said they were somewhat sure. Four percent answered that they could not see any anti-Russian campaign on the part of the West and 9 percent remained undecided.

At the same time, about a quarter of respondents think that Russia is also waging an information war against Ukraine and the West. Thirteen percent thought that this was the right thing to do, given the current situation, meanwhile 11 percent disapproved.

Fifty-nine percent of those polled think that the coverage of the conflict by Russian media was fully balanced and objective.

In a different poll conducted by the VTSIOM agency in early October 32 percent of respondents said they considered Ukraine to be Russia’s “enemy number one.” The United States topped this anti-rating with 73 percent of Russians seeing it as the primary foe.