More than 50 per cent of Russians believe that Ukraine is responsible for last month’s massacre at a concert venue outside Moscow that left at least 144 people dead, the Financial Times (FT) reported.
Polling carried out shortly after the attack found the majority of Russians blame Ukraine’s leadership, while only around 27 per cent pointed the finger at Islamic State, who claimed responsibility for the attack.
A further six per cent blamed the “collective west”, namely the US, UK, and Nato, according to the polling data collected by OpenMinds.
The survey, which questioned a total of 652 Russians, found more than three quarters of respondents considered Putin to be the most reliable or a completely reliable source of information about the attack.
Younger people aged 18 to 30 were more likely to blame ISIS for the attack, with those who oppose the war considerably more likely to do so. Meanwhile, those aged 31-50 were the group most likely to believe the theory that Kyiv was involved in the shooting, with 50 per cent agreeing, according to the poll.
Moscow has repeatedly blamed the attack – Russia’s worst in 20 years – on Kyiv, despite Western intelligence suggesting the militant group Islamic State was responsible.
