Among Kazakhstanis under 30, Four Times as Many Back Ukraine as Back Russia, New Poll Finds

Paul Goble

            Staunton, Dec. 2 – According to a new poll conducted by the Demoscope sociological service, 22 percent of all Kazakhstanis now back Ukraine in its war with Ukraine, up from 10 percent in March, while the share supporting Russia has fallen by two-thirds, from 39 percent to just 13 percent.

            At the same time, however, most residents of that Central Asian country are neutral or at least did not give an opinion, with 59 percent indicating that they did not support either Russia or Ukraine (thinktanks.by/publication/2022/12/02/kak-zhiteli-kazahstana-otnosyatsya-k-spetsoperatsii-v-ukraine.html).

            Among Kazakhstanis under the age of 30, however, four times as many support Ukraine as back Russia. The only age group where Russia has more support than Ukraine is among those over 60. Among them, 34 percent back Russia, while only 14 percent back Ukraine. In part, this reflects the different age structures of the Kazakh and ethnic Russian populations – Kazakhs on average are younger and Russians older.

            The survey also found that 22 percent of the sample believe that Russia is engaged in a war of conquest, with smaller shares accepting Moscow’s arguments about fighting fascism or the West.