'Aggressor, enemy, killer' - survey shows words Ukrainians associate with Russia

Almost all Ukrainians surveyed said the word "Russia" evokes negative connotations with words like "killer" or "death," according to a survey released on July 18 by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS).

After 10 years of war with Russia, and more than two years since Russia's full-scale invasion began, the survey asked respondents to reply with the words they think of when they hear the word "Russia."

94% of respondents replied with words that have a negative connotation, such as "aggressor," "enemy," "killer," "death," "hatred," and "occupier," among other words and phrases.

Only 5% of respondents said the word evokes neutral or positive connotations, such as "childhood" or "friends," while 1% said they have no associations or could not answer.

The poll also asked Ukrainians what words had connotations with the phrase "ordinary Russians," referring to the Russian population, rather than its government.

Among those polled, 80% replied with words and phrases with negative connotations, such as "enemies," "savages," "uneducated," "stupid," and "there are no ordinary residents."

Another 6% of Ukrainians said they had neutral or positive associations, and 14% said that they had no associations or could not answer.

KIIS noted that there were slightly more respondents in the south and east of Ukraine that gave positive, neutral, or uncertain answers to the question on "ordinary Russians," but 75% of people in these regions still had negative connotations.  

"The absolute majority of Ukrainians want to be fenced off from Russia and the Russians," said Anton Hrushetskyi, the executive director of KIIS.

According to Hrushetskyi, 57% of Ukrainians in 2020 believed that Ukraine would be able to normalize relations with Russia in the future.

"Now it is safe to say that the absolute majority of Ukrainians (fairly) do not want anything to do with Russia and Russians, and for many years to come they will perceived as enemies," Hrushetskyi added.

The survey used a representative sample of around 2,000 adults living in areas of Ukraine not under Russian occupation.

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