MOSCOW. April 4 (Interfax) - More than half of Russians (59%) have said they have a negative attitude toward the North Atlantic Alliance, while 2% of Russian citizens have a positive attitude toward NATO, and almost one in four is indifferent to it, according to a poll conducted by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) and obtained by Interfax on Monday.
The sociological survey revealed that almost two-thirds of Russians (62%) consider NATO a military bloc aimed at aggressive actions against Russia and its allies, 15% of respondents think the alliance is a defensive military alliance to protect its members, and every fifth (20%) finds it difficult to express an opinion on this issue.
According to the poll, almost half of Russians (46%) believe that NATO's goals of military-political deterrence of Russia, which were proclaimed when the alliance was established in 1949, have not changed so far. Almost one in three (32%) are certain these objectives are different now and one in five (22%) do not know what to say about this.
Sociologists noted that 86% of Russians have heard about the NATO bloc and almost three fourths of them (73%) know about the facts of crimes against humanity committed during military operations by the alliance.
The nationwide poll was conducted via telephone interviews on April 2, 2022. It surveyed 1,600 respondents aged 18 and older.