Russians believe that the decision to swap the Ukrainian pilot for the Russian prisoners is right, despite the fact that they are still confident that Savchenko is guilty, and the judgment is fair.
MOSCOW, June 15, 2016. Russian Public Opinion Research Centre (VCIOM) presents the data of the survey describing the following questions: how Russians assess the pardon of Nadezhda Savchenko; whether they expect any consequences to Russia; and whether they think that Savchenko is guilty of killing the Russian journalists.
The pardon of Nadezhda Savchenko (convicted of the involvement in the murder of two Russian journalists in Donbass) has become a high-profile event: during the survey 75% of Russians were aware of what happened.
Sixty-one percent of Russians say that the Ukrainian pilot could be swapped for the Russian prisoners; only 21% of Russians oppose this stance.
At the same time, the mere fact that Savchenko was granted pardon is not a significant event on a national scale: most of Russians see no substantial negative impact on the country (55% are undecided; 25% are confident that there will be no impact). Those who predict changes tend to cite negative effects such as aggravation of relationships with Ukraine and military conflicts.
The VCIOM opinion polls were conducted on June 4-5, in 130 settlements, 46 regions and 9 federal districts of Russia. The sample size was 1600 persons. The survey was conducted with multi-stage stratified sample based on general rule of walking and quotas at the final selection stage; the sample is representative of the Russian population aged 18 and over according to sex, age, education, type of settlement. The margin of error (taking into account the design effect) with 95% confidence interval does not exceed 3.5%. The survey method is community-based formalized face-to-face interviews. In addition to sampling error, minor changes in question wording and different circumstances arising during the field work can introduce bias into the survey.
President Putin pardoned Ukrainian citizen Nadezhda Savchenko accused of the involvement in the killing of two Russian journalists in Donbass. Have you heard about this pardon, or do you hear for the first time about that? (closed-ended question, one answer, %) | ||||||
| Total respondents | Aged 18-24 | Aged 25-34 | Aged 35-44 | Aged 45-59 | Aged 60 and more |
This is the first time I hear about that | 24 | 39 | 32 | 24 | 19 | 16 |
I heard something but I do not know any details | 37 | 37 | 39 | 40 | 34 | 35 |
I am well aware of that | 38 | 23 | 28 | 36 | 46 | 48 |
Don’t know | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Nadezhda Savchenko was swapped for two Russians imprisoned in Ukraine. Some people say that this swap was not equal, and Savchenko should not be extradited to Ukraine. Others say that for the good of two Russians no one will regret releasing her. Which of these opinions do you most agree with? (closed-ended question, one answer, %) | ||||||
| Total respondents | Aged 18-24 | Aged 25-34 | Aged 35-44 | Aged 45-59 | Aged 60 and more |
The former | 21 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 22 |
The latter | 61 | 52 | 57 | 59 | 66 | 63 |
Don’t know | 18 | 26 | 22 | 19 | 13 | 15 |
In your opinion, what consequences may the pardon granted to Savchenko have? (open-ended question, not more than three answers, %) | |
| Total respondents |
Positive consequences | |
Positive effects/ thaw in relations between Ukraine and Russia | 3 |
Improving Russia's image | 1 |
Negative consequences | |
War and terrorist attacks | 4 |
Negative effects/ aggression of Ukraine | 8 |
Impunity for crimes/ repetition of crime | 1 |
Weakening of Russia’s position in the international arena | 1 |
Further development of Ukrainian crisis / Ukraine' disintegration | 1 |
Rallies / Russians' discontent | 1 |
Other | 1 |
| |
None | 25 |
Don’t know | 55 |
In your opinion, is Ukrainian citizen Nadezhda Savchenko an accessory to the murder of the Russian journalists during the Donbass combats? (closed-ended question, one answer, % of those who know who Nadezhda Savchenko is) | |
| Total respondents |
Rather yes | 70 |
Rather no | 5 |
Don’t know | 25 |
Note: Using materials from the websites 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.