Many Russians support Russia’s unification with Belarus

71% of Russians agree that Russia is a great power. As shown by the recent poll conducted by Levada Center, the number of Russian respondents who agreed with this statement reached a maximum of 75% in 2018.

• The share of respondents who do not consider the country a great power also reached a historic low of 23% in 2018. Now it began to grow again and amounted to 26%. Most of the respondents believed that Russia should not be called a great power: as many as 30% of respondents shared the same point of view in 2005, while 67% disagreed.
• Most respondents, who answered this question, were guided by the image of the perception of Russia by other countries of the world. In this interpretation, the Russians see international sanctions as recognition of Russia's new role in the world by the West.
• The decrease in the share of those who consider Russia a great power may be due to difficulties in the interaction of the Russian authorities with Ukraine and Belarus. The perception of Russia as a great power may strengthened again during the US elections if US authorities start talking about the Russian interference in US elections again.

Russia and Belarus to become one?

In the poll, respondents were also asked about the relationship between Russia and Belarus. As many as 44% believe that Russia and Belarus should cooperate more actively in the economic sphere, 28% believe that it is necessary to maintain cooperation at the same level. Thirteen percent support the creation of the joint state with one administration, while ten percent believe that Belarus should become part of Russia.