Russians acknowledge they hate Ukrainians and Georgians most

Sociologists report a drastic change in Russian people’s attitude to representatives of other nationalities. Russians’ sympathies to Georgians, Ukrainians and Americans reduced most of all. Sociologists from the Russian Academy of Sciences prepared a report titled “What Are Russians Afraid of?” The report explains the decrease of sympathies with the rising interest of many Russians to geopolitical problems after the Caucasian crisis in the summer of the outgoing year.

Photo: Russians acknowledge they hate Ukrainians and Georgians most

“The sympathies of the Russian population reduced considerably to those, whom the Russian public opinion blames for the war in South Ossetia,” the report said. The attitude to Georgia worsened first and foremost. When the military actions in the Caucasus ended, the share of respondents having positive feelings towards Georgia dropped in Russia to eight percent. Those who shared negative sentiments about the country increased a lot and made up 81 percent.

The research also points out the downfall of sympathies to the USA. About 37 percent of the Russians were positive in their attitude to the United States a year ago. However, the number dropped to 14 percent when the US administration justified Georgia’s aggression against South Ossetia and blamed Russia for taking “inappropriate actions” in the region.

“It seems that the USA will have to pay the stake that the White House made on Mr. Saakashvili. The price is high – the USA has completely lost the credit of trust in Russia, as well as an opportunity to conduct any dialogues,” the report runs.

Ukraine evokes positive emotions only with 23 percent of the Russians, whereas the majority – 60 percent – said that they treated Ukraine negatively.

“Ukraine, as well as Belarus, was considered Russia’s most probable ally in the beginning of the current decade,” sociologists of the Russian Academy of Sciences say.

The number of Russians sympathizing with Germany, France, Japan and Great Britain dropped too (from 4 to 10 percent). The Russians share their biggest sympathies with Belarus (75 percent), Kazakhstan (69 percent) and China (59 percent).

The most negative attitude to Georgians and Ukrainians was registered in the south of Russia. About 57 percent of the polled said that they would approve Russia’s decisions to impose economic sanctions against Ukraine in case the latter joined NATO.