Most Romanians think Russia is to blame for the war in Ukraine and that Russia’s leaders should be punished for the war crimes committed against the Ukrainian population, a recent survey by INSCOP Research reveals. The war has also changed significantly the way Romanians perceive Russia’s military strength or the country’s mission to defend its traditional values, according to the same source.

Some seven in ten Romanians (71.2%) believe Russia to be the main culprit for the war in Ukraine, according to a poll conducted by INSCOP Research at the end of May 2022, three months after the Russian invasion. Still, around 10.4% blame the US, 4.5% Ukraine, and about 3.9%, respectively 1.7% blame NATO and the EU.

Over half (50.3%) of the respondents believe that Ukraine will win the war, and around 26.1% believe Russia will be the winner. The majority of Romanians (87.3%) believe and agree that Russian leaders must be punished and prosecuted for their war crimes committed in Ukraine.

The reputation and perception of the Russian army among the Romanian public have suffered since the beginning of the war. Currently, only a third of Romanians (32%) believe that the Russian army could get to Bucharest in 5 days if ordered to, down from 61.2% of the respondents to a similar survey carried out in February 2022.

At the same time, less than a quarter of Romanians (24.7%) still share the belief that “Russia defends its traditional values in the face of the moral decadence of Western countries,” down from 41.4% in February 2022. Meanwhile, 67.5% of respondents disagreed with this statement.

Asked their opinion about having more NATO troops present in Romania, 65% of the respondents (up from 59.2% in February) see this as positive, while 31.7% see this negatively and believe that having more troops will provoke Russia.

Moreover, on the topic of Romania’s attitude within NATO, 51.2% of respondents believe Romania must fulfil its duties as a NATO member and provide military help in case another member country is attacked, while 28% believe Romania should not be involved in the war, but rather send medical help and food supplies, 15.9% believe Romania should remain neutral, and 3% support the withdrawal from NATO.

Of those interviewed, 83% of the respondents are against the idea of Romania leaving the European Union (RO-Exit) and only 14.6% support this scenario.

When it comes to resources, two-thirds (66.9%) of the respondents believe that Romania will no longer depend on Russia’s natural gas imports if it exploits its Black Sea’s natural gas resources, while 26.7% strongly believe Romania’s natural gas, if extracted, will be sold to the Western countries.

The poll was conducted by INSCOP Research, a private company that conducts social and marketing research, between May 16 and May 21, 2022. Around 1,100 participants the age of 18 and above were interviewed and the poll highlights the views Romanian citizens have in regard to the war in Ukraine, EU, NATO, and natural resources in the Black Sea. For more information, you can consult the extensive poll here.

iulia@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Inquam Photos / Octav Ganea)