Almost Half of Russians Feel Unaffected by Western Sanctions

Almost a half of Russian people (46 percent) believe they are not economically affected by the consequences of sanctions imposed by Western countries on Russia, a survey by the Moscow-based Public Opinion Foundation (FOM) revealed on Tuesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — At the same time, 25 percent of the surveyed said that the influence of sanctions on the life of Russian people was noticeable, while 24 percent said that the influence of sanctions was minor, the poll, conducted on February 6, showed.

The public opinion is divided on the issue of how the sanctions affect the economy of Russia, with 39 percent of the surveyed believing that the sanctions have a minor effect, while 38 percent said that the restrictive measures had a significant negative effect, according to the poll.

Most of the respondents (60 percent) said that the Western countries are interested in lifting sanctions against Russia, while 17 percent said that both Russia and the West were interested in the cancellation.

The opinion poll was conducted among 1,000 people, aged 18 and older. The maximum margin of error is no higher than 3.8 percent.

Since 2014, relations between Russia and the European Union and the United States, deteriorated amid the crisis in Ukraine. Brussels, Washington and their allies introduced several rounds of sanctions against Russia on the pretext of its alleged involvement in the Ukrainian conflict, which Moscow has repeatedly denied. In response to the restrictive measures, Russia has imposed a food embargo on some products originating in countries that have targeted it with sanctions.