Russians do not favor the Milos Zeman’s idea to make Russia pay Ukraine the “compensation” for the Crimea’s incorporation.

MOSCOW, October 19, 2017. The Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) presents the findings of a study describing the attitudes of Russians toward a proposal to make Russia pay “compensation” to Ukraine for the Crimean incorporation.

An overwhelming majority of Russians (93%) approve of the Crimea’s incorporation. A proposal to pay compensation to Ukraine expressed by the Czech president is refused by 90% of respondents (only 6% support). Those who disagree say that Crimea was historically part of Russia. The support level is higher among the youngest respondents (aged 18-24) (19%) compared to the middle-aged and older age groups (1-7%).

At the same time, 69% of Russians consider that international recognition of Crimea is important for Russia. They strongly believe that this may happen any time soon (within a year or several years) (65% in 2017).  

The Medialogia Company carried out an analysis of more than 2.3 million mentions devoted to Crimea. Most of mentions are dated March 2014 (153,500). The mass media told about the Crimean referendum. The Crimean peninsula residents voted for the incorporation into Russia. Vladimir Putin addressed State Duma deputies and the members of the Council of the Federation on the Crimea’s incorporation into Russia’s territory. Vladimir Putin declared that “in people’s hearts and minds, Crimea has always been an integral part of Russia; this conviction is stronger than time and circumstances”. The Crimean peninsula was incorporated into Russia on March 18, 2014.  

The VCIOM-Sputnik Russian nationwide survey was conducted on October 13-14, 2017. The survey involved 1,200 Russians aged 18 and over, and was carried out using stratified dual-frame random sample based on a complete list of landline and mobile phone numbers operating in Russia. The data were weighted for the probability of selection and reflect social and demographic characteristics. The margin of error at a 95% confidence level does not exceed 3.5%. In addition to sampling error, minor changes in question wording and different circumstances arising during the fieldwork can introduce bias into the survey.

The 2016 data are based on a telephone survey conducted through stratified dual-frame random sample based on a list of landline and mobile phone numbers. The survey involved 1,600 Russians. The data were weighted for the probability of selection and reflect social and demographic characteristics. The margin of error at a 95% confidence level does not exceed 2.5%.

The 2014-2015 data are based on household surveys.

The Russian media publications were monitored and analyzed by the Medialogia Company using the company’s media database involving more than 42,500 sources such as television, radio, newspapers, news agencies, and online media. Period of study: January 2014 – October 2017.

Note: Using materials from the site www.wciom.ru or wciom.com, as well as distributed by VCIOM, the reference to the source (or hyperlink for the electronic media) is obligatory! The use of the Medialogia system content, fully or partially, must be accompanied by the reference to the Medialogia Company.