April 12, BPN. Thirty-three percent of respondents in Belarusian cities support Russia’s hostilities in Ukraine, 44 oppose them, and 24 don’t have a clear answer, an online poll by Chatham House’s Belarus Initiative has revealed.
Thirty-seven percent of those polled in March said the Russian army was successful in Ukraine, while 29 percent said it was unsuccessful. The remaining 34 percent found it difficult to tell if it was winning.
Twenty-three percent of respondents called the Ukrainian military successful, 42 percent described it as ineffective, and 35 percent didn’t have an answer.
Forty-six percent were convinced that Russia would win the war, while 15 percent believed in Ukraine’s victory.
According to the pollster, 56 percent of respondents favored an immediate ceasefire and peace talks.
Twenty-six percent said the war should end only when Russia has achieved its goals, while 14 percent – when Ukraine has won.
Only 3 percent of the respondents wanted the Belarusian army to participate in the war on the side of Russia. 30 percent stood for supporting Russia without military intervention, and the same share wanted Belarus to be neutral.
Seven percent of respondents said Belarus should condemn Russia’s actions, and 6 percent said it should support Ukraine without directly joining the conflict.
Belarus Initiative found that 37 percent of respondents get their information from the state-run media, 18 percent from the independent media, 26 percent from both, and 19 percent are not avid media users.
This was the fifth poll conducted by the initiative to gauge public opinion on the war in Ukraine in the last 12 months. The figures suggest that Belarusians’ perception of the military conflict remains virtually unchanged.
“Over the year of the war, the majority of Belarusian urban residents have not changed their position on the actions of the Russian army. Almost half of them clearly express their disagreement, and another quarter find it difficult to formulate their attitude toward the war. The concept of Belarus’ participation in hostilities remains unpopular,” the researchers concluded.
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