Record number of Ukrainians not willing to see pro-Russian MPs in Rada

That's according to a survey conducted by the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation and the sociological service of the Razumkov Center on the order of the Chesno civil movement, Ukrinform reports.

"After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, only 1% of Ukrainians agree to allow deputies from banned parties to complete their work until the next election," the statement said.

Last year this figure was higher and amounted to 3%.

Some 7% of surveyed Ukrainians proposed that pro-Russian deputies be stripped of their powers prematurely, and another 10.5% of respondents proposed that such MPs be banned from running for office again.

As many as 14% of citizens are in favor of lustration and a ban on holding positions for members of banned parties.

Almost 23% of respondents consider it a good idea for law enforcement officers to investigate the activities of pro-Russian deputies separately and check each of them for facts of treason. During the survey taken in December 2022, this position was expressed by 17% of respondents.

However, the survey shows, almost 38% of citizens proposed that representatives of pro-Russian parties be subject to all types of sanctions for the activities they carried out in Ukraine.

"The position of the citizens is clear - it is necessary to say goodbye to pro-Russian politicians, but we should not forget about accountability for each of them. After all, at this time, only under such conditions is it possible to prevent such persons from coming to power during the elections after the victory," Chesno said.

The survey was conducted from December 8 to 15, 2023. Some 2,019 respondents over the age of 18 who live in the territories controlled by the Ukrainian government and where hostilities are not ongoing were interviewed. The poll's margin of error does not exceed 2.3%.