Split opinion in India on whether Russia or Western countries to blame for Ukraine conflict: Survey | India News
These and other surprising prevalent beliefs about the war, which will be entering its 9th month soon, were revealed in a survey by YouGov Cambridge, a public opinion research organisation.
Who is to blame for the war?
As per the survey, around 27% of respondents in India said Russia was to blame for the war while 28% said that Western countries were responsible for the conflict.
Most other countries, except Turkey and Indonesia, overwhelmingly blamed Russia for the war.
West was threatening Russia
More than half of the Indians surveyed believed that before the war started, Western countries were seeking to establish military infrastructure in Ukraine in order to threaten Russia. Only 9% said they did not believe this to be true.
A majority of people in Indonesia, Turkey and South Africa also believed in this statement.
Ukraine was carrying out genocide
On being asked whether they believe that before the war started, ethnic Russians living in Ukraine were subjected to mass murder/genocide by Ukrainians, around 42% in India said they believed the statement.
Less than a quarter of the people in the other countries believed the statement.
Ukraine was under Nazi influence
Around 46% of Indians also believe that before the war started, the Ukrainian government had fallen under the influence of militant extremists who support Nazi ideology.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has often said that Moscow‘s military operations in Ukraine were being conducted to flush out Nazi elements in Ukraine.
People in South Africa and Indonesia also believed the statement, while it received no weight in most other countries.
Causes of war
Asked about the reasons for the conflict, 61% in India said Putin ordered troops into Ukraine as part of a larger ambition to build a new Russian empire in the former lands of the Soviet Union. A belief that is similarly shared across the globe.
A similar percentage said Putin ordered Russian troops to enter Ukraine partly because he wants to boost the international status of Russia as a great power in the world. Most other countries echoed the sentiment.
Around 57% in India said Putin started the conflict as he does not consider Ukraine a “real country” and wants to end its independence.
Global danger
On whether the world would be a more dangerous or less dangerous place if Russia achieved victory in Ukraine, a majority of the people in most countries believed that the world would be less safe.
In India, however, only 37% believed that the world would become more dangerous while 22% believed it would be less dangerous.
