"Brotherly nation": Only 3% of Russians acknowledge guilt toward Ukrainians

1. Only 3% of Russians openly admit feeling guilty toward Ukrainians. When asked what message they would convey to ordinary Ukrainians via a short telegram, a mere few percent chose the word "sorry."

2. The most frequent telegrams from Russians to Ukrainians include expressions like "We want peace, let’s live in peace" (13%), "Hold on, everything will be fine" (10%), and "We are one nation, brotherly nations, you are better off with Russia" (8%).

3. Nearly a quarter of Russians in their telegrams would encourage Ukrainians to cease resistance and distrust their government, believing Russia has come to liberate them. Approximately 25% of respondents are unsure of what they would convey or see no purpose in doing so.

4. Female respondents were more inclined to express a desire for peace and often called on Ukrainians to end the war.

5. Notable differences among age groups emerge. Russians over 55 are over three times more likely than younger individuals to advise Ukrainians to stop resisting and trust their government (40% vs. 12%). Younger Russians under thirty are twice as likely to encourage Ukrainians to “hold on” and are five times more uncertain about their message.

6. Russians commonly attribute good-naturedness (14%) and patience (14%) to their people. Nobility and togetherness follow closely at 7% each.

7. The overwhelming majority of Russians associate positive qualities with their people, such as being "fair," "strong," "stable," and "courageous." Only 6% attribute negative traits like "stupid," "evil," “obedient,” and “weak,” while 12% can't define a specific characteristic.

8. Characteristics ascribed to Ukrainians by Russians include "greedy" (11%), "lying" (8%), and "deceived" (6%). Negatives outweigh positives by twice the margin.

9. In general, Russians are more inclined to assign negative characteristics to Ukrainians, with negative traits doubling positive ones.

10. Notably, over a third (36%) of respondents couldn't specify the main characteristic of Ukrainians.

Source

About the author. Viktor Andrusiv, a political and public figure, analyst, and publicist

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