R Krishna Das
With Russia giving ample indication that it is all set to invade Ukraine, about half the population has gird their loins to protect the country.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed two decrees recognizing “the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR)” and “the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR)” as independent and sovereign states. Later, he gave the signal by asking the lawmakers for permission to use force outside Russia; paving the way for a broader attack on Ukraine.
A survey report revealed that about 48 per cent Ukrainians say they are ready to either join Army ranks or provide other non-military assistance to the military in the event of a large-scale war with Russia. The survey was conducted by Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation.
“Some 23 per cent are ready to fight and take up arms directly while another 25 per cent will provide all possible non-military assistance. That is, in total this is 48 per cent, almost half of Ukrainians,” said Oleksiy Haran, scientific director of the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation, Professor at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy National University.
He also noted that 13.5 per cent of respondents do not believe that there will be a full-out war with Russia. “This figure has fallen by 9 per cent against December 2021. And it is obvious that, had we conducted a poll today, this figure would be even lower,” said Haran.
“Nevertheless, the position of half of Ukrainians is very pro-active, and that’s good,” he said, adding that if the war is unleashed, these figures will increase accordingly.
