The majority of Ukrainians surveyed – 60% – believe that the imposition of sanctions, in particular against Petro Poroshenko, is an attempt to divert attention from the difficult situation on the front or an attempt to neutralize the opposition on the eve of negotiations with Russia and possible elections; 51% believe that political persecution of the opposition is quite or very widespread. This is evidenced by the results of a survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) on September 19-28.