Half of Russians Say Military Force Justified to Prevent Ukraine's NATO Membership

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] It has been revealed that one in two Russians believe that the use of military force to prevent Ukraine from joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is justified. However, only 13% of respondents thought that Russia would actually attack Ukraine.

On the 23rd (local time), CNN broadcasted the results of a public opinion survey conducted from the 7th to the 15th, targeting 1,021 Russian adults and 1,075 Ukrainian adults. When asked, "Do you think it is right for Russia to use military force to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO?" 50% of Russian respondents answered "Yes." Only 25% answered "No," and the remaining 25% said "Don't know."

However, when asked, "Is it right for Russia to use military forces to annex Ukraine?" 43% of Russians answered "No," while 36% answered "Yes." Although there was a higher positive response to using military force to prevent Ukraine's NATO membership, more respondents opposed the idea of annexation.

On the other hand, 70% of Ukrainians responded that Russia's use of military force against Ukraine's NATO membership was "wrong." Regarding the use of military force for annexation, 73% gave negative responses.

Regarding the possibility of a preemptive strike by Russia or Ukraine, more than half of respondents from both countries viewed the likelihood as low. In particular, only 13% of Russian respondents believed that Russia would initiate military action against Ukraine. When asked whether Ukraine would initiate military action first, only 31% of Russians thought so. Among Ukrainians, 42% believed Russia would take military action against Ukraine, while only 13% thought Ukraine would attack Russia first.

When asked whether the conflict between Russia and Ukraine would end peacefully, 65% of Russians and 43% of Ukrainians answered "Yes."

Regarding the question of whether Russians and Ukrainians see themselves as "one people," 64% of Russians answered affirmatively, whereas only 28% of Ukrainians responded positively, showing contrasting attitudes. When asked whether Russia and Ukraine should become one country, 34% of Russians agreed, but only 9% of Ukrainians agreed.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.