This is evidenced by a survey conducted by the Rating sociological group during July 23-25, 2021.
75% of respondents consider Ukraine the heir to Kyivan Rus. 8%, 9% do not consider Russia the legal successor of either of the two countries. For all age groups and the majority of electorates, Ukraine is the successor of Kyivan Rus, but among residents of the East and voters of the opposition platform, Muraev and Sharia parties, there are less than half of them.
The majority of respondents (55%) disagree with Putin's recent statement that "Russians and Ukrainians are one people who belong to the same historical and spiritual space," while 41% agree.
In the East, as well as among the parishioners of the UOC-MP, more than 60% agree with this opinion. Among residents of the Western Region, on the contrary, more than 70% disagree with this. More than 80% of voters of the opposition platform, Muraev and Sharia parties agree with the thesis of "one people".
The audience of the survey: the population of Ukraine aged 18 and older in all regions, except for the temporarily occupied territories of Crimea and Donbas. The sample is representative by age, gender, and type of settlement. Survey method: CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviews). Based on a random sample of mobile phone numbers. Sample size: 2,500 respondents. The error of representativeness of the study with a confidence probability of 0.95: no more than 2.0%.