Russians, placing Ukraine on the second place in the list of enemies of the Russian Federation, have shown that Kiev is getting closer to European values ??and principles.

This in his LiveJournal wrote a Russian economist and political scientist, former adviser to Vladimir Putin, Andrei Illarionov.

"The famous Russian proverb reminds: tell me who your friend is, and I'll tell you who you are. Another echoes it: with whom you are led, from that and you will be typed. These proverbs illustrate not only interpersonal, but also interstate relations. "The Levada Center published the results of the next poll of Russian public opinion on the issues:" What are the closest friends, allies of Russia? " (B) What are the most unfriendly, hostile to Russia? "- he wrote.

Illarionov added that the attention of observers was most attracted by the fact that Ukraine was "enemy number two".

"Judging by the questions and comments of Ukrainians, they are also worried about this. This fact, strictly speaking, is not news. In the eyes of the part of the Russian population subject to official propaganda, Ukraine has been occupying the "enemy number two" place for the fourth year in a row - since the spring of 2014, "stated the economist.

"But much more important is that in its" hostility towards Russia "in the minds of many Russians, Ukraine found itself in a very decent company - together with the United States, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Estonia, Britain, France, that is in One group with free and highly developed countries in Europe and North America. In other words, in the eyes of the Russian citizens being questioned, Ukraine has already significantly approached that very Europe, the entry into which was proclaimed one of the main goals of the Value of the 2013-14 Revolution, "Illarionov stressed..

He noted that a much greater concern for the results of this public poll would have to be experienced by Russian citizens, for whose authorities for many years now are not free, authoritarian, economically less developed countries - Belarus, China, Kazakhstan, Syria, Armenia, Cuba, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, as well as India.

"This time the main attention was paid not only to the absolute and relative levels of political and economic development of" friends "and" enemies "of Russia - this picture is already well known to regular readers. "Friends" of Russia, to be more precise:

the Russian leadership is an authoritarian and poor country, and its "enemies", more precisely: of the Russian leadership, are free and wealthy countries, "concluded Illarionov.

As reported by the Observer, Illarionov earlier said that building relations with Russia, especially after the de facto unleashing of the war, the Ukrainian authorities need to remember three things that are often ignored by Kiev.

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