KYIV. July 21 (Interfax-Ukraine) – More than half of Ukrainians (54.2%) believe that the trial in the case of MP from the Opposition Platform - For Life faction Viktor Medvedchuk will be protracted and without a real decision, according to the results of a survey conducted by the NGO Kyiv Institute of Sociology of Civil Society held during July 15-19, 2021.

At the same time, 33.7% of respondents believe that the trial will end with an acquittal against Medvedchuk, and 4.8% - that with a real or suspended sentence. Another 7.3% found it difficult to answer the question.

According to a poll presented at the Interfax-Ukraine agency on Wednesday by chairman of Kyiv Institute of Sociology of Civil Society, MP of the V convocation Oleksandr Kovtunenko, 33.8% of Ukrainians consider unfair the restriction measure for Medvedchuk in the form of round-the-clock house arrest with its further extension, since it is stricter than the degree of accusation, while 13.6% called it fair, and 7.5% said that such a preventive measure is lighter than the degree of accusation. At the same time, 32.4% of respondents are convinced that Medvedchuk should have been released from the courtroom.

In addition, 57.5% of Ukrainians support the opinion that Medvedchuk is innocent, should be acquitted and restored in all rights. In contrast to them, 19.2% of Ukrainian citizens expressed their opinion that the deputy should be subject to criminal punishment, 23.3% of the respondents found it difficult to answer.

According to the poll, 65.5% of Ukrainians called the Medvedchuk trial an attempt by the authorities to divert attention from real problems, and 20.4% - a real fight against threats to national security, while 15.1% found it difficult to answer the question.

The majority of respondents, 67.1%, believe that handing over suspicion to Medvedchuk, as well as choosing and extending a measure of restraint for him will lead to an increase in the rating of the politician and the Opposition Platform - For Life party, 11.2% are in favor of the fact that these events will improve the rating of President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Servant of the People political force, and 21.7% could not answer.

The poll was conducted by Kyiv Institute of Sociology of Civil Society, commissioned by the American company West Market Industrial LLC (U.S.). Some 3,000 respondents were interviewed using the CATI method (computer-assisted telephone interview). The audience is the population over the age of 18, living in all regions of Ukraine, except for the temporarily uncontrolled territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions and Crimea. The error in the representativeness of the study does not exceed 2.8%.