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#19 - JRL 8261 - JRL Home
Russians polled on WWII

MOSCOW. June 20 (Interfax) - A public opinion survey has shown that most Russians no longer feel any hatred for the countries they considered enemies in World War II.

The Yury Levada Analytical Center's poll carried out in the run-up to the anniversary of the beginning of World War II suggested that 91% of respondents no longer have such feelings, compared to 86% three years ago.

Twenty-four percent of those surveyed said they did not remember which countries were the Soviet Union's allies during WWII. Sixty percent mentioned the United States, 57% Great Britain, 33% France, 15% Poland, 10% Czechoslovakia, 7% Yugoslavia, and 7% Romania.

A poll conducted by the Public Opinion foundation produced similar results.

According to its June survey, 26% of the respondents said they did not remember the Soviet Union's WWII allies and 47% said they did not know which countries supported Germany.

Thirty-five percent of those polled named Italy as Germany's ally, 26% Japan, 9% Romania, 6% Spain, 6% Austria, 5% Hungary, 4% Finland, 2% Bulgaria, 1% the United States and 1% Great Britain.

Russians are divided over what role the 'second front' played in the victory over Germany. Thirty-five percent of those polled described its contribution as vital, while 40% said that it was insignificant.

Thirty-six percent of the respondents think that the Soviet Union's allies played a major role in winning the war and 46% think that their role was not important.