Russians back government on tough position on Belarus

Over 70 percent of Russians said their government’s tough position towards Belarus during the oil and gas row matched Russia’s national interests. 45 percent put blame on Belarus, while 10 percent said Russia was responsible for the crisis, according to the poll returns; released today by the Russian Center for the Public Opinion Studies, published in the Russian newspaper Vedomosti.

According to the poll, 29 percent continue to support the creation of the equal union between the two countries, while 40 percent said there was no need for a union. One in five of the respondents said they would welcome incorporation of Belarus into Russia as one of the Russian regions.

Half of those polled evaluated Lukashenka in a positive way, while the second half treated him negatively.