Poll: Russians see US, Ukraine, Turkey as top 3 enemies

A survey by an independent Moscow-based polling agency has found that Russians believe their country has a trio of main enemies – the United States, Ukraine and Turkey, in that order. The findings of the Levada Center poll, conducted among 2,400 people across Russia May 20-23, contain little new data other than Turkey’s inclusion in […]

A survey by an independent Moscow-based polling agency has found that Russians believe their country has a trio of main enemies – the United States, Ukraine and Turkey, in that order.
The findings of the Levada Center poll, conducted among 2,400 people across Russia May 20-23, contain little new data other than Turkey’s inclusion in the top enemies list.
Until recently, a majority of Russians viewed Turkey either neutrally or positively. 
According to polling data going back a number of years, the United States has long been seen by a considerable part of the Russian population as a potential threat and a “source of global evil.”
The Levada Center’s poll found that the level of anti-American and anti-European sentiment in Russia is now higher than it was before Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in early 2014, but lower than it was at the start of 2015.
Last November, Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet it said had crossed into its airspace, despite warnings.
The United States’ rating remained basically unchanged: 72 percent of the respondents in the latest poll named it one of the five nations most hostile to Russia, down slightly from 73 percent in 2015.