Odessa Citizens Point Finger at Kiev for Unleashing War in Donbass - Poll

Almost half of the Odessa public blames the Ukrainian authorities for starting the war in the Donbass Region, according to Alexander Dobroyer, director of the European Institute of Social Communications.

An opinion poll by the European Institute of Social Communications has revealed that about fifty percent of citizens in the Ukrainian city of Odessa believe that Kiev is responsible for unleashing the war in eastern Ukraine's Donbass Region.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, the institute's head Alexander Dobroyer referred to the poll, which showed that a total of 48 percent of Odessa's citizens accuse the Ukrainian authorities of starting the war.

The figure includes about 25 percent of respondents who blame the current power and more than 20 percent who point the finger at the former authorities.

A cemetery where militia men of the Donetsk People's Republic were buried

© Sputnik / Gennady Dubovoy

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In addition, 12.2 percent insist that the United States is to blame for the hostilities, while 6.7 percent lay the blame on the European Union.

Notably, only 7.7 percent of respondents accused the governments of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk Republics of initiating the conflict.

On May 2, 2014, about 46 anti-Maidan protesters were killed and 200 more people were injured during a confrontation with pro-Ukrainian unity supporters at the Trade Unions House in central Odessa.

Ukraine has been mired in a civil war since April 2014, when Kiev launched a military operation against militias in the country’s southeast.

Moscow’s relations with Kiev deteriorated greatly amid the Ukrainian crisis, with Kiev accusing Russia of meddling in the conflict. Russia has repeatedly denied these allegations.