Page 18 - UKRRptOct20

limits. Foreign plated cars with unpaid tickets are not allowed back in the country. ​Tickets for major speeding violations are to be increased 6.5 times, to $122, under a law expected to be passed this month by the Rada at second reading. These fines would be levied on drivers exceeding speed limits by 50 km or more. Penalties for drunk driving will also be increased to include jail time and loss of license for up to 10 years, Anton Gerashchenko Deputy Internal Affairs minister, told reporters on Wednesday. Ukraine aims to cut road accidents by 30% by 2025, Infrastructure Minister Vladyslav Krikliy, advised a government-business meeting, “Safety Matters.” He said this would save 1,500 lives a year and avoid injuries to another 15,000 people. To get there, Ukravtodor, the state highway agency, is building 26 roundabouts, 76 collision absorber systems, hundreds of speed cameras and 887 illuminated pedestrian road crossings. The World Bank estimates road accidents cost Ukraine two% of GDP, or $2bn.
2.9 ​Polls & Sociology
Half (49%) of polled Ukrainians distrust Zelenskiy, while just 44% still trust him, ​according to a survey by non-governmental think tank, the Razumkov Center, along with the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation.​ ​A total of 75% do not trust the Verkhovna Rada, the country’s parliament, and 72% distrust the government. Respondents also showed a lack of faith in the judicial system, the anti-corruption bureau, and the police. Sociologists at the Razumkov Center noted that Ukrainians have less-and-less confidence in the country’s institutions, highlighting that distrust in the cabinet has jumped from 51.5% in December 2019 to 72% in July 2020.​ ​The research also discovered that the country’s most trusted institution is the army, at 65%, with the Church (65%), and volunteer battalions (53%) close behind.​ ​In June, a Razumkov Center poll revealed that only 25.3% of Ukrainians would now vote for Zelenskiy, with 11% saying they’d vote for former president Petro Poroshenko.
More Ukrainians now believe Russia started war in Donbas.​ ​About 60.3% of Ukrainians now believe that Russia started the war in Donbas, compared to 48.5% in February 2019, according to poll results released on Sept. 29. About 21.3% of respondents believe the war was began by “the Ukrainian government and oligarchs,” while 18.4% are undecided. About 92% of western Ukrainian residents blame Russia for starting the war, while only 29% of eastern Ukrainian residents do. About 44% of eastern Ukrainians blame the Ukrainian government and oligarchs, while only 2% of western residents do. The poll was conducted between Aug. 14 and 19 among 2,022 respondents by the Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Fund and Razumkov Center. It was ordered by the Detektor Media civic organization.
About 45.3% of Ukrainians support the protestors against the alleged falsifications of presidential elections in Belarus​, according to poll results released on Sept. 24. About 31.3% of respondents support the position of President Aleksandr Lukashenko, who draws the most support from Ukraine’s Russophile eastern and southern regions. The poll was conducted between Sept. 12 and 16 among 2,000 respondents by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology.
Polls conducted in the last two years indicated that Lukashenko is the most popular foreign politician among Ukrainians​. About 13.4% of Ukrainians said the foreign politician most worth emulating is Lukashenko in February 2019, compared to 9.8% for German Chancellor Angela Merkel, according to a poll of 2,000 respondents by the New Europe Analytical Center in Ukraine. In November 2019, about 66% of Ukrainians polled had a positive
18​ UKRAINE Country Report​ October 2020 ​ ​www.intellinews.com