Majority in Ukraine wants to reintegrate Donbas, USAID poll suggests

The majority of Ukrainians wants the Russian-occupied regions of Donetsk and Luhansk to be reintegrated into the Ukrainian state, according to a poll released on Jan. 19 that was conducted by the Ukrainian government and supported by USAID. The proposal for autonomy for Donbas has more support than fully reintegrating the territory, without any autonomy, the poll indicated, with the exception of those polled in the occupied territories. They favor full integration.

Western Ukrainians expressed most support for returning occupied Donbas, while those in the occupied territories were least supportive. Less support was also observed in the areas that make up unoccupied Donbas, as well as southern Ukraine. The press announcement didn’t make clear when the poll was conducted and how many respondents were involved.

Zenon Zawada: It’s revealing that those most supportive of reintegrating occupied Donbas are situated farthest from the war-torn region in western Ukraine. Those less supportive are geographically closer. And those themselves occupied are the least supportive, partly out of fear of perceived retributions from the Ukrainians. But given that they favor full integration (rather than under conditions of autonomy as stipulated by the Minsk Accords), they also don’t seem to have much in their current leaders.

The poll was conducted on a point system, rather than on a simple yes-or-no basis, which might have been done to boost positive results. But no doubt, there is a general mood in the Ukrainian public that’s supportive of reintegration. We hold the position, shared by a number of Ukraine experts, that freezing the conflict is a better option than fulfilling the Minsk Accords. There are signs that some officials in the highest government ranks are advocating this position as well.